ONE Championship
KEY POINTS
- Danny Kingad shares his fearless forecast for Kairat Akhmetov vs. Reece McLaren II
- Kingad feels that Akhmetov is stylistically superior than McLaren
- Kingad wants another piece of Akhmetov
Apart from the rubber match between Demetrious Johnson and Kairat Akhmetov in the main event, Danny Kingad will also keep a close eye on a pivotal flyweight duel slated on the lead card of ONE Championship’s much-awaited U.S. debut.
Kairat Akhmetov is set to collide with Reece McLaren in a three-round rematch at the historic ONE Fight Night 10, which takes place at the sold-out 1stBank Center in Denver, Colorado on Friday, May 5.
Both men first tangled in 2019 as part of the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix, with Akhmetov notching a clear-cut unanimous decision victory over McLaren.
Much has changed since the last time they saw each other eye-to-eye, and the newest chapter in their rivalry entails serious implications regarding the world title picture of their division.
Akhmetov has a firm grip on the No. 2 spot in the rankings, while McLaren is positioned at No. 4 behind the No. 3-rated Kingad.
With Akhmetov and McLaren running it back, Kingad is the best man for the job to break down the upcoming clash.
“The King” eked out a split decision win over McLaren in the World Grand Prix semifinals in August 2019. Meanwhile, he sustained a tough unanimous decision setback at the hands of Akhmetov in December 2021.
The 27-year-old native of Sadanga, Mountain Province believes that Akhmetov will get the job done once more against McLaren.
“In my opinion, it will be the same story in the rematch. Akhmetov is the better striker and possesses high-level wrestling. I think that’s enough for Akhmetov to dominate the match and cruise to a unanimous decision,” Kingad explained.
Though he is giving McLaren some elbow room to turn it into a more difficult encounter this time around, Kingad feels Akhmetov’s best attributes as a mixed martial artist are enough to keep the Australian spitfire at bay.
“McLaren has the explosiveness, but sometimes it works against him. Akhmetov has all the weapons to offset that as the fight progresses,” he said.
Kingad may be siding with Akhmetov in his second meeting with McLaren, but it does not mean he no longer wants another piece of the Kazakh.
“He has given Kuya Geje [Eustaquio], Adriano and Reece a rematch. Why not me? I’m here,” Kingad stated in jest.
The former ONE flyweight title challenger is coming off a dominant performance this past February, feasting on Eko Roni Saputra to protect his seat in the Top Five.
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