Danny Kingad predicts knockout ending against former ONE flyweight champ

Danny Kingad sees a decisive finish when he takes on the former ONE flyweight world champion Kairat Akhmetov on the undercard of ONE: Big Bang on Dec. 4 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

While the 24-year-old from Team Lakay knows that Akhmetov is easily one of the toughest and well-rounded opponents he has to face, he is nevertheless confident of his chances on fight night.

“I’ve wanted to face him for a long time because I want to test my skills against him, particularly in wrestling. It’s not going to be easy, but it’s going to be a fun fight. I think I’m better than him in the striking department, but we’ll have to wait and see in the fight,” Kingad said.

“He’s improved a lot. I think his biggest strength is that he’s very well-rounded. He has good wrestling skills, but he’s not just a wrestler. He can strike too, and I shouldn’t underestimate him.”

Kingad was supposed to face Akhmetov in the semi-finals of the ONE flyweight world grand prix but the latter withdrew from the fight because of an injury.

Kingad reached the finals of that tournament where he faced former UFC flyweight world champion Demetrious Johnson at ONE: Century I in October 2019, losing to the pound-for-pound great by way of unanimous decision.

With elite-level experience under his belt at a young age, Kingad is convinced that he has already managed to surpass Akhmetov in terms of well-roundedness.

“I think I’m better than him all-around. I’m very proud of my skills, and I think I have the best team behind me. We’ve prepared very well for this fight. We have a good strategy coming into this. I want to win for my family, my fans, and for the Filipino people,” said Kingad.

“He’s very good on the ground, has strong control, and can finish opponents on the mat. If he had any area of weakness, it would have to be in his striking. That’s what I’m going to try to expose. I’m focusing on that.”

Kingad concedes that anything can happen when he meets Akhmetov inside the cage. But one thing is sure, he is coming to Singapore with bad intentions.

“I don’t know how the fight will go. We’ll know once we’re in there. But I’m definitely going for the finish. I think this won’t last two rounds. It will end with a second round knockout.” – JM Siasat/RC, GMA News