“My heart may not have been all there” - Danny Kingad admits self-doubt took a toll in costly defeat vs Yuya Wakamatsu
Danny Kingad admitted that self-doubt resulted in a disappointing loss in his last outing.
After a strong outing against Eko Roni Saputra at ONE Fight Night 7, 'The King' was primed to add another big win to his resume 11 months later against Yuya Wakamatsu. Unfortunately for Kingad, that was not the case.
Instead, Wakamatsu outworked the one-time ONE world title challenger that night, earning his 17th career victory whilst handing Kingad his fourth career loss.
Looking back on the bout during an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda MMA, Kingad admitted that he let self-doubt creep in and it ultimately resulted in his heart not being in the fight.
"The biggest one is probably self-doubt," Kingad said. "My heart may not have been all there considering the disparity of our stature at the time."
Kingad will attempt to climb back into the win column on Friday, Nov. 8 when he returns to the Circle. But, he'll do so against one of the most decorated flyweights in mixed martial arts history.
Danny Kingad meets Adriano Moraes in a high-stakes clash at ONE 169
With the ONE flyweight MMA world championship now vacant via Demetrious Johnson's recent retirement, Kingad's hopes of becoming a ONE world champion are better than ever.
Next month, he'll attempt to take a giant leap forward in that regard when he meets eight-time ONE flyweight MMA world champion Adriano Moraes as part of a stacked ONE 169 card inside the iconic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
It will be Kingad's second meeting with 'Mikinho,' the first coming at ONE: Legends of the World in 2017. On that night, Moraes came out on top via unanimous decision. If 'The King' can even the series and find his way back into the win column, he could very well be one of the two men competing for the vacant flyweight MMA crown.
Who comes out on top when two of the best flyweights in the world collide?
Fans in the United States and Canada can watch ONE 169: Malykhin vs. ‘Reug Reug’ live on Amazon Prime Video on Friday, Nov. 8 in U.S. primetime.