ONE: Kingad pressured, excited for ‘biggest fight’ of his career

PHOTO FROM ONE CHAMPIONSHIP

The pressure Danny Kingad has heading into Friday’s ONE: Legends of the World is no joke.

Not only is Kingad fighting in his first world title shot, he’s also up against an experienced champion and Brazilian jiu-jitsu expert in Adriano Moraes.

Plus the fact that Kingad is also trying to preserve his undefeated record—something that most fighters refuse to admit.

“This is the biggest fight of my career,” Kingad told INQUIRER.net Tuesday in a press conference at City of Dreams Manila. “Moraes is my toughest challenge so far. He has a lot of experience.”

“There is pressure. I feel it and I’m excited for the fight. I haven’t lost and in my mind, I want to keep it that way,” added Kingad, who owns a 6-0 slate.

Adding to Kingad’s anxiousness is the fight will be staged in Manila at Mall of Asia Arena, which is expecting a sellout crowd.

“It makes me more excited fighting here but at the same time, I also feel nervous because obviously, I don’t want to let our fans down. I want to put on a good show,” he said.

The 21-year-old Kingad hasn’t fought since beating Muhammad Aiman by unanimous decision last April in Manila.

The fast-rising Team Lakay fighter was supposed to return to action in July but the event was cancelled. His bout was rescheduled a month later but things also didn’t turn out well as it was cancelled for the second time.

Kingad assured that despite the snag, his buildup for his title fight against Moraes went as planned.

Kingad said his training focused on improving his ground game knowing that he will be up against a master grappler.