FILE – Danny Kingad, right, loses to Demetrious Johnson by unanimous decision in their Flyweight World Grand Prix Championship Final in ONE: Century on Sunday, October 13, 2019, at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan. Photo from ONE Championship
MANILA, Philippines—After a brush with Demetrious Johnson last year, Team Lakay’s Danny Kingad said he wants another shot at one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time.
Forced to wait for a new fight, Kingad said that he’s raring to get another shot at Johnson especially with his unanimous decision loss against the Mighty Mouse happening in the finals of the ONE World Flyweight Grand Prix.
“Aside from [Kairat] Akhmetov, of course DJ is one of the people I’m willing to fight,” said Kingad in Filipino during a Zoom interview. “Actually, fighting anyone in the top five of the flyweight division feels like a title fight already.”
Kingad, the no.2 flyweight contender, was supposed to fight no.3 Akhmetov this Friday but their fight was canceled after one of Team Lakay’s cornermen tested positive for COVID-19 a day before they were set to fly for Singapore.
A win for Kingad could’ve set him up for a rematch against Johnson and would have ultimately brought him to a bout against champion Adriano Moraes.
Kingad (14-2) said that ONE Championship hasn’t talked to him yet about a change in schedule, leaving him to only hope for a potential fight in the future.
With his position in the division, it’s not preposterous for him to wish for a rematch against Johnson (30-3).
“I learned a lot from DJ, from his skills to his speed that’s what I learned the most from him,” said Kingad. “How he thinks inside the cage, that alone I was already impressed with.”
Three of Johnson’s last five bouts ended via submission and Kingad said that having taken the man with the most successive UFC title defenses to the distance was a huge confidence booster for him.
“That really boosted my confidence because he didn’t just finish me,” said Kingad. “And I’m very proud because I watched his fights and he had no problems finishing off his opponents, but when we fought we really went the distance.”