ONE: Danny Kingad survives Japanese challenger for unanimous decision win

Photo from ONE Championship

JAKARTA—Danny Kingad withstood a tough challenge from Yuya Wakamatsu and came away with a unanimous decision victory Saturday night in thei ONE: Conquest of Heroes flyweight bout at Jakarta Convention Center here.

Neither fighter gave an inch for three rounds, with both Kingad and Yakamatsu connecting on solid hits after another to the delight of the appreciative crowd.

Wakamatsu, who is making his debut in the promotion, managed to send Kingad to the mat after a kick to the leg in the first round but the Team Lakay fighter quickly recovered, going for the rear naked choke before the Japanese foe wiggled out as the bell rang.

Team Lakay’s Danny Kingad wins via unanimous decision after that explosive fight against Yuya Wakamatsu! @ONEChampionship pic.twitter.com/W0R4qlECrj

— INQUIRER Sports (@INQUIRERSports) September 22, 2018

Kingad regained momentum and repeatedly went for the takedown in the suceeding rounds but Wakamatsu proved as powerful as his punches and was able to escape the mount until the final bell.

Photo from ONE Championship

But Kingad, able to stagger Wakamatsu with loaded strikes and knee stomps, did enough to get the nod of the judges for his third straight victory this year. He hiked his record to 7-1.

The Baguio native’s win ensured that the Philippine delegation will go home with the victory after Jomary Torres failed in her bid in the preliminary round. Joshua Pacio is set to challenge for the belt in the mainer.

The main card has been nothing short of entertaining with quick finishes and upsets highlighting the night.

Kairat Akhmetov dominated Mao Hao Bin from the opening bell for the unanimous decision victory, while Saygid Guseyn Arslanaliev made quick work of Timofey Nastyukhin.

Koyomi Matsushima, meanwhile, pulled off an upset of a stoppage against Marat Gafurov, one of the top fighters in the featherweight division,

Matsushima pounded Garurov, a former world champion, with a barrage of strikes prompting the referee to stop the fight 2:41 in round one.