By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Filipino mixed martial artist (MMA) Danny Kingad’s hopes of earning a ONE Flyweight title shot will have to wait a little longer.
With only two months remaining before his upcoming fight against Hu Yong in ONE Fight Night 15, Kingad just made a crucial decision after withdrawing from the bout confirmed last August 22, 2023.
Kingad announced that he suffered an ankle injury during his training camp and can no longer take on Hu Yong in the undercard of Tawanchai vs Superbon on October 7, 2023, to be held at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
According to his camp, Kingad’s priority right now will be his rehabilitation process so that he can return to 100% once his ankle heals.
“I was eagerly anticipating the opportunity to compete and demonstrate my skills in the ring. However, my current physical condition prevents me from performing at my best and poses a risk to my health and well-being,” Kingad said.
The current no. 3 ranked flyweight in the promotion, Kingad was locked in during his preparation against Hu Yong which will serve as a testament fight if he can challenge the current champion Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson.
The initial plan was to pass the Hu Yong test before arranging a fight against Johnson for the world flyweight supremacy but all of those will have to face a delay given the current health status of Kingad.
Kingad is coming off an impressive win against Eko Roni Saputra last February 24, 2023, during the One on Prime Video 7: Lineker vs Andrade 2.
Despite starting slow, Kingad was able to recover and dominate the remaining rounds which was enough to pull off a unanimous decision victory.
Kingad’s camp is yet to release a timetable regarding his rehabilitation schedule and is yet to comment if he can come back at the end of the year.
