KEY POINTS

  • Danny Kingad and Kairat Akhmetov make their claims to victory ahead of ONE: Winter Warriors II
  • The pair were originally set to fight in 2019, but Akhmetov sustained an injury that forced him to withdraw
  • Both fighters are aiming for a victory that they hope can turn into a flyweight title shot in 2022

Kairat Akhmetov and Danny Kingad will finally step into the cage for their long-awaited bout on Friday, December 17 at ONE: Winter Warriors II, but not before claiming their reasons for victory over the other.

The No. 2-ranked flyweight contender from Team Lakay standout believes that beating Akhmetov is his last step towards finally contending for the ONE flyweight title, but he is highly cautious of his opponent’s capabilities.

“He’s (Kairat Akhmetov) a former world champion and he’s dangerous and I think I can give my best with him also. As an athlete, we find ways so we better ourselves in any aspect of martial arts like wrestling, grappling, and striking and I can do all of that,” remarked Kingad.

Kingad last fought in ONE Championship in January 2020 against Xie Wei, pulling off the unanimous decision victory.

Akhmetov echoed his opponent’s sentiments, hoping that the two can share a fair and explosive night of action in the main event of ONE: Winter Warriors II.

“I hope the judge and everything will be fair in that fight. I do respect Danny. He’s a great fighter, he has great skills. At the same time, he’s a family man. I know he has kids, I respect that, I have my family too. We fight, we get the results but nothing more than just respect for him,” Akhmetov said.

The No. 4-ranked flyweight from Kazakhstan last fought against Dae Hwan Kim in December 2020 is riding a three-fight winning streak of his own and will look to extend his run against Kingad.

Akhmetov and Kingad were originally set to face each other in the semifinals of the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix in 2019, but the Kazakh pulled out of the fight due to injury, which led to the Filipino fighting and defeating Reece McLaren before facing all-time MMA great Demetrious Johnson in a losing effort.

Now that both fighters are in perfect condition, fight fans cannot wait to see who scores the statement victory for a potential title shot at ONE flyweight king Adriano Moraes.

ONE: Winter Warriors II will be streaming live on the ONE Super App and official ONE Championship YouTube channel for fans in Asia on Friday, December 17 at 8:30 PM.

Meanwhile, the North American audience can catch the entire card via B/R Live at 7:30 AM ET.

A post shared by instagram

RELATED STORIES