KATUPARAN ng pangarap para kay Danny “The King” Kingad ng Team Lakay ang pakikipagtuos kay Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson sa co-main event ng ONE: CENTURY PART 1 sa Oktubre 13.
Magbabalik ang dalawa sa pamosong Ryōgoku Kokugikan sa Tokyo, Japan matapos ang matagumpay na kampanya sa quarterfinals ng ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix nitong Marso.
Sa naturang laban, matikas na ginapi ni Kingad si Japanese star Senzo Ikeda, habang nanaig si Johnson via guillotine choke kay Yuya Wakamatsu.
DepEd, sinabing walang korapsyon sa pamumuno ni Sonny Angara
Muli, nagkasama sa fight night ang dalawa sa ONE: DAWN OF HEROES sa Pilipinas kung saan kapwa sila nagwagi sa kani-kanilang semifinals duel. Nagwagi si “Mighty Mouse” kay Tatsumitsu Wada at nangibabaw si Kingad via razor-thin split decision kontra Reece McLaren.
Walang pagsidlan ang kasiyahan ni Kingad sa kaganapan ng pangarap na makaharap ang idolong si Johnson sa makasaysayang pagdiriwang para sa ika-100 live event ng nangungunang MMA promotions sa Asya.
“I can’t wait for our match to begin,” sambit ni Kingad.
“Demetrious is one of the athletes I have been looking forward to stepping into the cage with ever since he signed with ONE Championship. He is also one of the athletes who I look up to as a martial artist. We were both in Japan in the first round of the tournament. Now we will be back there for the finals. Almost everyone in my division wanted to have the chance of testing their skills against him. I have worked hard to reach the finals of this tournament, and I feel blessed to share this stage with him.”
Bilang 12-time Flyweight World Champion, alam ni Kingad na mabigat na karibal si Johnson, ngunit handa siyang sumugal para makamtan ang tagumpay.
“Demetrious is a well-rounded athlete. His striking skills, ground game, and fight IQ is on a different level. He remains the same dominant fighter I grew up watching on television. However, I think he is having a little bit of difficulty with our Asian athletes because our style somewhat differs from those in the west. He also was taken down easily a lot here, and in his previous promotion, that is an opportunity we are looking at,” aniya.
