Danny "The King" Kingad will have to rekindle an old flame for him to open this new chapter to his career.
The second-ranked flyweight MMA contender returns to action at ONE 165: Rodtang vs. Takeru this 28 January at Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan, as he revisits his rivalry against Yuya “Little Piranha” Wakamatsu.
Grudge match
It’s a rematch more than five years in the making, a repeat bout of their clash at ONE: Conquest of Heroes back in September 2018 in Jakarta where the Filipino came away with the unanimous decision victory.
“The King” is seeking to achieve the same glory, this time under the Lions Nation MMA banner as he gets reunited with teammates and former world champions Eduard “Landslide” Folayang and Joshua “The Passion” Pacio.
This time, however, the 28-year-old doesn't just want to leave with his hand raised - he wants to make a statement and wrap up the contest inside the distance.
“It’s been awhile since our last match, and I’m excited cause this is a good test to see just how far I’ve improved since we last met,” Kingad stated.
Kingad last fought in February, and he impressed in that match as he stopped Eko Roni Saputra’s seven-fight win streak after dominating the Evolve MMA standout to take a unanimous decision win.
Another victory could put him in the conversation as one of the legitimate challengers to the ONE Flyweight MMA World Championship currently held by Demetrious "Mighty Mouse" Johnson.
But there’s one thing working against Kingad this time out: the home crowd will be heavily favoring Wakamatsu.
The Pancrase Flyweight Tournament Champion is on a redemption tour of his own, bouncing back with an emphatic first round technical knockout victory over “The Hunter” Xie Wei at ONE Fight Night 12: Superlek vs. Khalilov last July.
Wakamatsu eyes revenge
And there’s nothing more that Wakamatsu would want but to avenge his previous loss to Kingad in front of his compatriots.
ONE 165 will feature the marquee main event duel between two of the greatest pound-for-pound strikers on the planet when ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion Rodtang “The Iron Man” Jitmuangnon welcomes heated rival and three-division K-1 World Champion Takeru Segawa to The Home of Martial Arts.
In addition to that, Japanese legend and former ONE Lightweight MMA World Champion Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki takes on American phenom “Super” Sage Northcutt in a matchup that’s been nearly three years in the making.
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