Geje “Gravity” Eustaquio won’t be the only Filipino to showcase his talents in front of a hometown crowd at ONE: HERO’S ASCENT as his Team Lakay comrade Danny “The King” Kingad will be joining the reigning ONE Flyweight World Champion in representing the country on the blockbuster card.
Kingad is scheduled to lock horns with DEEP Flyweight Champion Tatsumitsu “The Sweeper” Wada in a three-round flyweight showdown at ONE Championship’s first event in Manila, Philippines this 2019, which takes place at the Mall of Asia Arena on 25 January.
After his unsuccessful bid to capture the flyweight crown in November 2017, the 23-year-old Baguio City native bounced back strong by acing three consecutive matches against top-tier opponents in 2018.
Kingad kicked off the year with a unanimous decision victory over Sotir Kichukov of Bulgaria at ONE: VISIONS OF VICTORY in March.
“The King” carried over his momentum into his next bouts this 2018, scoring another unanimous decision win against Chinese standout Ma Hao Bin at ONE: PINNACLE OF POWER in June.
Following his impressive win over Ma, Kingad ended his 2018 campaign on a high note, defeating Yuya “Little Piranha” Wakamatsu via unanimous decision at ONE: CONQUEST OF HEROES this past September.
The man standing in Kingad’s path to getting his fourth-straight win is Wada, who has won nine of his last ten matches.
In his last outing, the Japanese standout submitted Filipino spitfire Eugene Toquero in the first round with a wrenching rear-naked choke at ONE: WARRIOR’S DREAM last November.
Wada aims to establish his first winning streak on the ONE Championship stage and spark an upward trajectory towards the upper echelon of the stacked flyweight division.
More bouts are expected to be announced in the coming days. ONE: HERO’S ASCENT is headlined by Eustaquio, who defends his ONE Flyweight World Title against Adriano “Mikinho” Moraes in a rubber match.
