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| Danny Kingad wants to go after the One flyweight title again. Dennis Acosta (file photo) |
MANILA--Danny Kingad's de facto New Year's resolution is now set: to become the One flyweight champion.
The Team Lakay young gun is now aiming at another crack for One Championship gold as he himself said on Wednesday.
“I’m looking to earn another long-awaited shot at the One world title. I think I’m ready. I’m one big win away from getting to the top,” said the current number two ranked flyweight.
And he wants to be the next in line.
"I know there’s a big match-up soon between Demetrious Johnson and Adriano Moraes. I would love to fight the winner of that fight some time in the near future," Kingad continued.
Moraes, the current champ, and Johnson, the winner of the One Flyweight Grand Prix, are scheduled to face off on Feb. 24 in a soon to be determined location.
Both of Kingad's two defeats came at the hands of Moraes and Johnson.
Kingad, in his only world title shot so far, suffered his first loss after submitting to Moraes via rear naked choke at One: Legends of the World on Nov. 10, 2017 in Pasay.
[Related Story: Nguyen decks Folayang cold, becomes 1st 2-division kingpin in One history]
Kingad then lost to Johnson in the final of the Grand Prix at One: Century in Tokyo on Oct. 12, 2019.
[Related Story: Kingad falls to Johnson in One flyweight GP final]
However, Kingad insists he has already learned from those defeats and is now ready for a rematch against either Moraes or Johnson.
“I believe I’ve changed a lot since facing either of them, and they will be surprised,” he further said.
On what kind of Kingad will show up if he gets a title shot outright will depend on how the prolonged hiatus has affected him match fitness wise.
In what would have been his first match since January, Kingad was scheduled to face former champ Kairat Akhmetov at One: Big Bang 1 on Dec. 4, but on Nov. 30, One announced that the match was called off after one of Kingad's cornermen was tested positive for COVID-19.
[Related Story: Kingad-Akhmetov battle called off; Rene Catalan joins One: Big Bang]
Taking Kingad's place on a short notice is former One bantamweight title challenger Kim Dae-Hwan.
Akhmetov, currently ranked third among flyweights, and Kim already fought in a catchweight clash earlier this month, but the said match will only be shown right on Christmas night when One broadcasts One: Collision Course 2.
Follow him on Twitter: @IvanSaldajeno
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