MMA fighter Danny Kingad of Team Lakay celebrates after defeating fellow Filipino fighter Robin Catalan via via armlock submission at 'PXC Laban: Baguio 3 ' on Dec. 18, 2015 in Baguio City, Philippines. (Photo : YouTube/Sports5)
Eduard Folayang will not be the only Filipino fighter with a Malaysian opponent at "ONE Championship: Kings of Destiny" on April 21 at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City, Metro Manila. Folayang's fellow Team Lakay member Danny Kingad and Malaysian fighter Muhammad Aiman will fight in the flyweight division during the event.
The pressure is on for Kingad as he is set not only to fight a promising Malaysian fighter but also to maintain his clean MMA record. The Filipino fighter won all of his six fights since his debut as a professional MMA fighter in 2014.
As a Team Lakay member, Kingad is currently based in Baguio City, which is also home to Filipino-American MMA fighter Mark Striegl. Here is a short interview I recently had with the undefeated fighter:
Conan Altatis: Does being an undefeated fighter make you confident enough to defeat Muhammad Aiman or does it put pressure on you?
Danny Kingad: Being an undefeated fighter doesn't mean that I can defeat my opponent. As a fighter, I still have the pressure to train very well and strive hard to win and to be able to maintain my record.
CA: What can your fans expect from you in the upcoming fight?
DK: I will do my very best and put my heart and mind to the fight.
CA: I'm sure you are rooting for Eduard Folayang. Why do you think will Folayang defeat Ev Ting?
DK: Coach Eduard Folayang trained very well and he will strive hard to win.
Aiman will be Kingad's second Malaysian opponent. On April 15, 2015, Kingad defeated Muhamad Haidar from Malaysia via knockout.
Having won two out of three professional MMA bouts since 2016, Aiman is considered a new fighter. After losing to Sung Bin Jo of South Korea, Aiman defeated his fellow Malaysian fighter Hisyam Sams and Eduardo Novaes from Brazil.
On the other hand, Kingad defeated his fellow Filipino fighter Reymond Doliguez via a unanimous decision both on Nov. 20, 2014 and during their rematch on Feb. 27, 2016. On Dec. 18, 2015, Kingad won via armlock submission over Robin Catalan, also Filipino.
Aside from Doliguez and Catalan, Kingad defeated two more fellow Filipino fighters namely Jiar Castillo and Eugene Toquero. Castillo and Toquero lost to Kingad via a unanimous decision on Feb. 27, 2016 and via armlock submission on Dec. 2, 2016, respectively.
Toquero is also fighting in the flyweight division against Stefer Rahardian from Indonesia at"ONE Championship: Kings of Destiny," which will be headlined by Folayang and his Malaysian opponent Ev Ting. Here is a video of Kingad and Doliguez's rematch in 2016 in Baguio City:
