Danny Kingad will be dealing with a lot of pressure when he goes head-to-head with Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson in the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix Final at ONE: CENTURY PART I this coming 13 October in Tokyo, Japan.
The 23-year old Filipino flyweight prodigy out of the famed Team Lakay Gym in La Trinidad, Benguet Province, Philippines will have the hopes of an entire nation pinned on him as he looks to take down a pound-for-pound great in the United States’ Johnson with a shot at glory on the line.
Apart from a chance to become the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix Champion and becoming next in line to challenge for the ONE Flyweight World Championship, Kingad is also competing to put the Philippines on the map in terms of mixed martial arts on the global stage.
“Of course, for us, it’s definitely a blessing that we were given the chance and the opportunity, that Danny was given the chance and the opportunity to face Mighty Mouse,” said Team Lakay head coach Mark Sangiao.
“It’s simply an indication that athletes like Danny from the Philippines can go head-to-head with the best fighters in the world, and that will be even more evident if Danny can manage to be victorious.”
As if the stakes weren’t already high enough, the Kingad-Johnson contest will serve as the main event of ONE: CENTURY’s morning card in Tokyo, which will air live on primetime in the United States via TNT.
A victory for Kingad over a legendary competitor like Johnson will not only put him on the top of the flyweight landscape in ONE, but it will also give him exposure like never before.
Sangiao knows exactly what is at stake for Kingad in Tokyo, and he knows that a win will be a massive boost not just for Kingad or for Team Lakay, but also for the landscape of Philippine mixed martial arts in general.
“We’re definitely blessed to be in this position, that Danny gets to face someone like Demetrious Johnson,” Sangiao stated.
“We all know who Mighty Mouse is. For a long time, he has been one of the best in the world in the flyweight division in terms of MMA, and now one of our own in Danny Kingad gets to face him, and Danny will be proudly representing the whole of the Philippines.
“That only means that on a global stage, worldwide, we Filipinos can be competitive, and not just in boxing, but also in MMA,” Sangiao added.
The Kingad-Johnson clash in the Flyweight World Grand Prix finale is just one of the must-see bouts on the ONE: CENTURY morning card that will be headlined by a highly-anticipated rematch between ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion Angela “Unstoppable” Lee and ONE Women’s Strawweight World Champion “The Panda” Xiong Jing Nan.
Also on the card, the ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix Championship will also be up for grabs as multiple-time lightweight world champion Eddie “The Underground King” Alvarez of the United States meets Turkish knockout artist Saygid “Dagi” Guseyn Arslanaliev in the finale.
Do you think Danny Kingad can upset “Mighty Mouse” in Tokyo?
This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 9/13/2019.