Third-ranked flyweight MMA contender Danny "The King" Kingad has seemingly plateaued in the division, but he knows that he can’t stay where he is.
Fresh off a disappointing outing against Yuya “Little Piranha” Wakamatsu at ONE 165, the Filipino is trying to find a breakthrough that will get him back into World Title contention.
He gets that chance on November 8 when he takes on former ONE Flyweight MMA World Champion Adriano “Mikinho” Moraes in a rematch at ONE 169: Atlanta at State Farm Arena in Georgia.
Not only will he get another shot at the former divisional king, he gets to join a stacked card in Atlanta at a time when he’s hoping to invigorate his career.
"I'm thrilled to finally have the opportunity to perform in the States and showcase my skills in front of the American audience,” he said.
“It's a chance that not everyone from this part of the world gets, so I'll be giving it my all in this fight to push my career forward."
It seems poetic for Kingad that in his bid to return to World Title relevancy, he’ll have to hurdle the first guy who dashed his first – and up until now, only – chance of becoming an MMA World Champion.
The two first fought in 2017 when Moraes submitted then 20-year-old Kingad via rear-naked choke in the first round.
Kingad did bounce back to become one of the elites in the division, but he never challenged for the World Title again. Now he’s hoping that this is the match that catapults him back to championship relevance.
The card will be headed by the clash between three-division MMA World Champion Anatoly Malykhin when he defends his heavyweight strap against “Reug Reug” Oumar Kane.
ONE 169 will also witness the return of two-division MMA king Christian Lee, who defends his lightweight strap against Alibeg Rasulov.
The hotly contested trilogy between ONE Featherweight Muay Thai World Champion Tawanchai PK Saenchai and “Smokin’” Jo Nattawut will also be settled that night.
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