Kingad outpoints Japanese foe in ONE's Jakarta card

JAKARTA, Indonesia — Danny Kingad knew his foe should not be taken lightly. True enough, Yuya Wakamatsu brought their fight to the distance. 

But the Team Lakay ward also knew his warrior spirit was a cut above his assignment.

After witnessing just that, all of the judges scored in favor of the 23-year-old Igorot in ONE Championship’s “Conquest of Heroes” undercard Saturday night at the Jakarta Convention Center.

Kingad, arrested a lethargic start — one that the Filipino absorb multiple fists to the head — and mount an impressive showing on the ground to outlast the ONE Championship newcomer.

Wakamatsu, who was bothered by Kingad’s takedown attempts, nearly fell prey to a rear-naked choke in the waning moments of the opening round.

He went on to catch Kingad with a couple of sharp left hooks in a bid to dictate the pace.

But bent on proving his inner fire burned brighter, Kingad showed he still had plenty left in the tank. The final round saw the Filipino shoot for multiple submission attempts and sneak in more shots en route to a unanimous-decision victory.

Kingad improves to 10-1 in the professionally, extending his streak to three matches since losing to then flyweight champion Adriano Moraes.

Wakamatsu, for his part, absorbs his third loss in his 13 career outings.

The Philippine delegation is currently 1-1 in the card as of posting time.