Team Lakay during the ONE: New Era press conference. Photo by Denison Dalupang/INQUIRER
MANILA, Philippines—Danny Kingad’s life has just gone full circle.
Rising up from a rough adolescence, Kingad credited his maturity and general well-being when he joined Team Lakay during the senior year of high school.
Kingad said that it was the stable that helped him through life and that his teammates and coach Mark Sangiao helped him become who he is today.
“When I was young, I was in a very bad crowd and it had a negative impact on my life,” said Kingad. “Team Lakay helped me out of that dark place and taught me values like respect, honor, and I generally became a better person.”
“Prior to joining the team, I knew very little about martial arts apart from the basic kicks and punches. Under the guidance of my coach, I learned proper execution as well as other skills such as grappling, submission wrestling, fluid striking, and others.”
Kingad (10-1) will now have the chance to not only represent the famed stable in ONE: Dawn of Heroes when he takes on Reece McLaren, he’ll be doing so with five of his brothers.
Edward Kelly, Honorio Banario, Geje Eustaquio, and Eduard Folayang are also in the card and Kingad is honored to be in the same stacked card as his teammates.
“Personally, I think having five of us Team Lakay members competing on the same card is advantageous,” said Kingad. “Everyone’s always at the gym training and we’re all focused and determined to be in the best condition possible.”
“It serves a huge boost to our morale knowing that we have family cheering us on from our corners, no matter the result. I say our bond at Team Lakay is unbreakable.”