Danny Kingad vs Kairat Akhmetov. ONE CHAMPIONSHIP
MANILA, Philippines—Kairat Akhmetov put on a wrestling clinic as he dominated Danny Kingad to take the unanimous decision win in their flyweight contest in the main event of the ONE: Winter Warriors 2 Friday at Singapore Indoor Stadium.
Kingad, the no.2 contender in the division, was the first to engage but his body kick attempt early in the first got caught allowing Akhmetov to take top position for the rest of the round.
That sequence eventually became the theme of the fight as Akhmetov controlled the proceedings on the ground.
"The Kazakh" overthrows "The King!" Who's next for Kairat Akhmetov? 🇰🇿 #ONEWinterWarriors2 #WeAreONE #ONEChampionship pic.twitter.com/c9SqdVlpNN
— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) December 17, 2021
Sensing that he needs a finish to get the win, Kingad tried to use his striking at the start of the third but it was still Akhmetov’s style that prevailed with the Kazakh fighter once again taking the fight to the ground.
Akhmetov said that he was glad that he was finally able to fight Kingad after their meeting was postponed twice.
“I’ve been preparing for this fight for a very long time, and Danny’s fought champions and he’s the no.2 contender so I’ve waited for a long time for this one,” said Akhmetov, the no.4-ranked flyweight in the promotion.
Kingad and Akhmetov were originally scheduled to face each other in the semifinals of the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix in September 2019 but the Kazakh pulled out due to injury.
They were again penciled to fight in ONE: Big Bang in December 2020 but Kingad and some of his teammates in Team Lakay tested positive for COVID-19.
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