Danny Kingad Excited To Share The Stage With Fellow Team Lakay Members

Danny “The King” Kingad is gearing up to face Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Reece “Lightning” McLaren at ONE: DAWN OF HEROES in front of his compatriots on August 2 at the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines.

Kingad will be one of five athletes from Team Lakay who will see action on the card. 

When he was young, Kingad was a troubled teen treading on the wrong path. Eventually, he was course-corrected after joining the Baguio-based Team Lakay during his senior year of high school. There, he was groomed to become an excellent athlete and a role model.

Being a member of Team Lakay is something Kingad is extremely proud of.

“Being a member of Team Lakay has played a huge factor in my improvement, not only as an athlete but as a human being as well,” Kingad said. 

“Prior to joining the team, I knew very little about martial arts apart from the basic kicks and punches. Under the guidance of my coach, I learned proper execution as well as other skills such as grappling, submission wrestling, fluid striking, and others. 

“When I was young, I was in a very bad crowd and it had a negative impact on my life. Team Lakay helped me out of that dark place and taught me values like respect and honor, and I generally became a better person.”

Kingad will compete on the same stage with four of his Team Lakay brothers, including Eduard Folayang, Honorio Banario, Geje Eustaquio, and Edward Kelly. 

Training five athletes simultaneously may seem like an overwhelming task for Team Lakay coach Mark Sangiao, but the team’s discipline and teamwork makes his job easier and more efficient. Kingad also does his best to maximize training and finds some advantages in training in a group setting.

“Personally, I think having five of us Team Lakay members competing on the same card is advantageous,” Kingad concluded. 

“Everyone’s always at the gym training and we’re all focused and determined to be in the best condition possible. We know we are all individually responsible for the outcome of our bouts, so we help each other get to where we want to be. 

“At the event, it serves a huge boost to our morale knowing that we have family cheering us on from our corners, no matter the result. I can say our bond at Team Lakay is unbreakable.”

Kingad is on the rise and continues to rack up wins. We can only expect he shines brighter in Manila when he performs alongside his Team Lakay brothers in front of his countrymen. If he’s able to defeat McLaren, Kingad will move on to the final round of the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix, where he will face the winner between Demetrious Johnson and Tatsumitsu Wada.

Danny Kingad Banked on Continuously-Improving Grappling Game to Ground Hard-Hitting Foe at ONE: CONQUEST OF HEROES

Filipino flyweight phenom Danny “The King” Kingad recorded another impressive victory as he edged out Japanese newcomer Yuya “The Little Piranha” Wakamatsu at ONE: CONQUEST OF HEROES last 22 September in Jakarta, Indonesia.

The Team Lakay stalwart claimed his third-straight win and his eleventh mixed martial arts career win overall.

Making Kingad’s performance all the more impressive was that he had to weather an early striking storm from the hard-hitting Wakamatsu to grind out a unanimous decision victory after three rounds of action.

In the first round, Wakamatsu showcased his much-talked about power as he rattled the Filipino with a hard low kick and then followed that up moments later with a right straight that dropped Kingad.

“That punch caught me off-guard,” Kingad admitted. “I really felt his power in that punch. That’s when I knew I had to switch things up.”

Looking to survive the onslaught, Kingad relied on his wrestling to grab hold of Wakamatsu and take the Japanese striker down to the mats.

On the mat, Kingad imposed his will and took over the match.

“When I got hit hard, I decided that I need to shoot for his legs,” he explained. “When I was able to get him down with relative ease, I saw that I probably won’t be having any trouble trying to take him down, and I stuck with that game plan for the rest of the match.”

“Coach Mark Sangiao drew up a game plan, and that was to throw strikes to set up a takedown, because we knew that wrestling would be my advantage,” Kingad added.

After the tumultuous opening moments of the first round, Kingad executed the game plan perfectly, mixing up his punches and kicks to time his takedowns well and get the action to the ground almost at will.

Having it his way on the canvas, Kingad displayed his continuously-improving ground game as he threatened to end the bout with a submission on a number of occasions.

“We knew coming in that he was a striker, a knockout artist,” he expressed. “After taking him down the first time, I felt that my power over him was my wrestling and my ground game, so that got me energized, and that’s where I attacked him throughout the whole match.”

After a hard-fought fifteen-minute contest, it was Kingad who had his hand raised in front of the martial arts fans at the Jakarta Convention Center.

“I’m really happy with this win. It was a tough one, but God is good and He helped me get this win,” he claimed.

With a winning streak going, the former ONE Flyweight World Championship contender is inching closer and closer back to top contender status in the stacked 61.2-kilogram weight division.

“I’m ready for anyone. Whoever ONE Championship wants to put in front of me, that’s who I’ll prepare for,” he concluded.

GEJE EUSTAQUIO UNIFIES ONE FLYWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP WITH SPLIT DECISION VICTORY OVER ADRIANO MORAES

In the main event of ONE: PINNACLE OF POWER, a riveting battle took place between two outstanding mixed martial artists in the world today as flyweight rivals Geje “Gravity” Eustaquio and Adriano “Mikinho” Moraes put everything on the line to unify the ONE Flyweight World Championships. Both men went back-and-forth, swapping solid blows and momentum-shifting takedowns from bell to bell. Neither of the two would give each other any quarter for five rounds as both men traded their best offense all throughout the highly-anticipated title unification contest. After a gruelling encounter inside the ONE Championship ring, Eustaquio sent the crowd into a rapturous chorus of cheers by clinching a split decision win over Moraes to become the undisputed ONE Flyweight World Champion.

Geje Eustaquio, ONE Flyweight World Champion, stated: “The feeling is awesome. I want to thank all my kababayans (countrymen) here who came out to support me. I came to Macau with one vision, and that is to [unify the flyweight titles], and I know I am not capable of doing this alone. I want to thank God, Team Lakay, and of course my family. And to all the fans, thank you so much for the undying support. Ladies and gentlemen, when I started 14 years ago, this was impossible. But now, after 14 years, impossible is not a word, it’s just a reason. Anybody can be a world champion, as long as you have the drive and the attitude. I am proud to be the undisputed ONE Flyweight World Champion this time.”

In the co-main event of the evening, “The Panda” Xiong Jing Nan of China successfully defended the ONE Women’s Strawweight World Championship, defeating elite South American contender Laura Balin. With the desire to leave Macau remaining the division’s queen, Xiong overwhelmed Balin with her superb grappling pedigree. On the canvas, Xiong continuously pummeled Balin with thudding strikes and tried to bring the bout to a close with multiple submission attempts throughout the championship clash. Xiong punctuated the bout by outslugging Balin in the final round, steering herself to a dominant unanimous decision victory.

Making his ONE Super Series debut, two-division Lumpinee Stadium World Champion Petchmorrakot Wor. Sangprapai emerged triumphant against French dynamo Fabrice Fairtex Delannon in a catchweight Muay Thai encounter. Proving his stature as one of the top pound-for-pound Muay Thai practitioners in the world, Petchmorrakot finished the task at hand with a series of elbows that opened up a cut on Delannon’s forehead, coercing the ringside physician to halt the contest just 43 seconds into the second round.

Malaysian-Kiwi spitfire Ev “E.T.” Ting defeated another notable name in the promotion’s stacked lightweight division, routing fellow former world title contender Koji “The Commander” Ando of Japan. It was a striking showcase from start to finish as both men delivered shattering blows. Although Ando gallantly traded punches with Ting, the latter connected on effective strikes through excellent counterpunching. Ting pulled away in the last round when he scored on a devastating high knee. With his gutsy performance against Ando, Ting was awarded a unanimous decision win.

In a fierce clash of top ONE featherweights, former ONE Featherweight World Champion Narantungalag “Tungaa” Jadambaa of Mongolia turned in a vintage performance, stopping top divisional contender Edward “The Ferocious” Kelly of the Philippines by technical knockout in the second round. Jadambaa dominated both striking and grappling exchanges, while Kelly tried his best to fend off the former champion’s advances. However, Jadambaa’s pressure was too much to handle for Kelly, who succumbed to a series of ground strikes from the back.

In a ONE Super Series Muay Thai flyweight contest, the legendary Lerdsila Phuket Top Team of Thailand overcame a tremendous effort from his younger opponent Sok Thy of Cambodia, winning by split decision after three rounds. The two locked horns in a spirited clash of talented strikers, peppering each other with fiery combinations while showcasing great defense. In the end, it was Lerdsila who was able to earn two of the three judges’ nods.

Moroccan promotional newcomer Tarik Khbabez left a lasting impression in his first ONE Super Series appearance, notching a third-round knockout victory over heavyweight Alain “The Panther” Ngalani. Khbabez silenced the Cameroonian with his pressuring offense, catching Ngalani with a stream of punishing strikes from the first round to the final frame. In the third round, Khbabez unleashed a torrent of impactful blows that brought Ngalani to his knees. An exhausted Ngalani failed to beat the 10-count, compelling the referee to wave off the bout and declare Khbabez the victor via knockout.

In a ONE Super Series Muay Thai flyweight contest, Yukinori Ogasawara of Japan overcame a tremendous effort from Rui Botelho of Portugal to win by scintillating knockout in the second round. After coming from behind in the first frame, Ogasawara unleashed a beautifully-timed spinning back elbow in the second, turning the lights out on Botelho to emerge victorious in his ONE Championship debut.

Former ONE Featherweight Beijing Tournament 2014 Champion, “The Underdog” Li Kai Wen of China walked out to a thunderous chorus of cheers as he took on Rodian “The Redeemer” Menchavez of the Philippines. Featuring his trademark aggression and explosive power, Li blasted Menchavez with a monstrous right hand to finish his Filipino foe impressively in the first round via one-punch knockout. The finish set a new ONE Championship record of fastest finish in featherweight history at 10 seconds, shattering the previous record of 21 seconds set by Team Lakay’s Edward Kelly. It also earned Li the GoDaddy KO of the Night honors.

Flyweight standouts Danny “The King” Kingad of the Philippines and “The Southern Eagle” Ma Hao Bin of China put on an electric performance for the raucous crowd in Macau, delivering a thrilling exchange of offense. A former ONE Flyweight World Championship title challenger, Kingad utilized a heavy torrent of leg kicks and ferocious ground-and-pound to dominate Ma over three full rounds. In the end, Kingad earned a unanimous decision victory for his efforts.

Kicking off ONE: PINNACLE OF POWER were bantamweights Rin Saroth of Cambodia and Mario Satya Wirawan of Indonesia. The two figured in a spirited scrap, setting the pace for an exciting evening of martial arts action. After a showcase of evenly-matched striking and grappling, it was Saroth who emerged victorious, defeating Wirawan via technical knockout in the third round.

Official results for ONE: PINNACLE OF POWER

ONE Flyweight World Championship bout: Geje Eustaquio defeats Adriano Moraes by Split Decision (SD) after 5 rounds

ONE Women’s Strawweight World Championship bout: Xiong Jing Nan defeats Laura Balin by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 5 rounds

ONE Super Series Muay Thai catchweight bout (67.0kg): Petchmorrakot Wor. Sangprapai defeats Fabrice Fairtex Delannon by TKO (Doctor Stoppage) at 0:43 minutes of round 2

Lightweight bout: Ev Ting defeats Koji Ando by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 3 rounds

Featherweight bout: Narantungalag Jadambaa defeats Edward Kelly by TKO (Strikes) at 4:58 minutes of round 2

ONE Super Series Muay Thai flyweight bout: Lerdsila Phuket Top Team defeats Sok Thy by Split Decision (SD) after 3 rounds

ONE Super Series Kickboxing heavyweight bout: Tarik Khbabez defeats Alain Ngalani by Knockout (KO) at 1:49 minutes of round 3

ONE Super Series Muay Thai flyweight bout: Yukinori Ogasawara defeats Rui Botelho by Knockout (KO) at 2:54 minutes of round 2

Featherweight bout: Li Kai Wen defeats Rodian Menchavez by Knockout (KO) at 0:10 minutes of round 1

Flyweight bout: Danny Kingad defeats Ma Hao Bin by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 3 rounds

Bantamweight bout: Rin Saroth defeats Mario Satya Wirawan by TKO (Strikes) at 2:30 minutes of round 3

About ONE Championship™

ONE Championship is the largest global sports media property in Asian history. Headquartered in Singapore, ONE Championship is the home of martial arts and is the world's largest martial arts organization, hosting bouts across all styles of martial arts such as Muay Thai, Kickboxing, Karate, Kung Fu, Silat, Sanda, Lethwei, Mixed Martial Arts, Tae Kwon Do, Submission Grappling, and more. The world’s most exciting martial arts organization hosts the largest sports entertainment events across Asia, featuring some of the world's best martial artists and world champions, all signed to exclusive contracts, on the largest media broadcast in Asia. In addition to its digital platforms, ONE Championship broadcasts to over 1.7 billion potential viewers across 136 countries around the world with some of the largest global broadcasters, including Fox Sports, ABS-CBN, Astro, ClaroSports, Bandsports, Startimes, Premier Sports, Thairath TV, Skynet, Mediacorp, OSN, and more.

*This is Press Release

Flyweight Title Picture Hangs in the Balance for Danny Kingad in Macau

ONE: PINNACLE OF POWER in Macau, China on June 23 is one of the deepest cards from top to bottom offered by ONE Championship for its 24-event calendar this 2018.

From the preliminary portion to the main card of ONE: PINNACLE OF POWER, there are plenty of bouts with championship and ranking implications, including the three-round flyweight encounter between former title contender Danny Kingad and Chinese prospect Ma Hao Bin.

The winner of the aforementioned 61.2-kilogram tussle could earn a shot at the ONE Flyweight World Championship, which will be on the line in the main event of ONE: PINNACLE OF POWER as Adriano Moraes is slated to duke it out with Geje Eustaquio in a much-awaited rematch and title unification contest.

Kingad is now trying to build some momentum towards a second crack at the ONE Flyweight World Championship, while Ma has aced six of his assignments since joining the promotion in 2016.

However, the 22-year-old Baguio City native finds himself in a peculiar position if he and his teammate Eustaquio will walk out of the Studio City Event Center with respective victories.

Kingad knows that he has to be relegated to a gatekeeping role if Eustaquio will be successful in unifying both titles against Moraes at ONE: PINNACLE OF POWER.

“I will be super happy for coach Geje if he wins the match in Macau. It’s an honor to be competing alongside him on June 23. I’ve learned a lot of things from him. For this training camp, I’ve spent more time with him. I want him to win the title,” he said.

Although he could be knocking on the door for a world title shot again with a decisive win over Ma, Kingad stressed that he will gladly play gatekeeper to Eustaquio.

“I don’t mind filling that role if ever he wins against Adriano Moraes. He is my senior, and we are teammates. He is like a brother to me,” he stated. “I am still young. I believe that my time will come.”

Kingad is not fond of the idea of squaring off with Eustaquio for the flyweight crown, pointing out that he would not trade his treasured friendship with his Team Lakay comrade for a shot at the world title.

“That's not going to happen. We always go at it in practice anyway. I'm happy that I get to spar with him all the time because he pushes me to the limit. We push each other, and we push each other to the next level,” he shared.

“I will support coach Geje all the way. For now, I'll just keep getting better as a competitor. I'll wait for my time,” Kingad added.

Following an unsuccessful challenge for the ONE Flyweight World Championship this past November against Moraes, which ended in his first professional defeat, Kingad rebounded with an impressive triumph over a battle-tested veteran in Sotir Kichukov four months later.

Kingad seeks to sustain his winning groove in ONE Championship as he is set to take on Ma, a Chinese national freestyle wrestling champion with a mixed martial arts record of 11-2.

Diligently preparing under the tutelage of head coach Mark Sangiao at Team Lakay in Baguio City, Kingad is fully aware of his opponent’s capabilities.

“Training is, as usual, very tough. We are drilling very hard each and every day. I am still working on all areas, be it my striking or my grappling,” he mentioned.

“Knowing my opponent is a good wrestler, however, I am particularly working on my takedown defense for this match. I want to keep this fight standing, so I have worked very hard on my takedown defense,” Kingad explained further.

Despite the threat that Ma poses in the grappling department, Kingad assured that he is comfortable wherever the bout goes on June 23.

“I want to test his stand-up game. I believe I am stronger, faster, and more explosive than he is,” he disclosed. “I am definitely going for a knockout in this match. However, if he does take me to the ground, I will be ready for anything.”

Kingad believes that his in-ring meeting with Ma at ONE: PINNACLE OF POWER is a must-win clash as he embarks on a hazy road towards the organization’s flyweight championship.

“I must win this bout because honestly, I don’t know what the future holds. What if we don’t get the result that we want for coach Geje? I am ready to step up. I cannot wait to get right back in there and make another run at the title. I know things will be very different next time,” he ended.

For more updates on ONE Championship, please visit www.onefc.com, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @ONEChampionship, and like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ONEChampionship.