Danny Kingad wants another shot at Demetrious Johnson

MANILA, Philippines — Team Lakay young ward Danny Kingad already proved his greatness in ONE Championship when he was able to go toe-to-toe to flyweight legend Demetrious Johnson for three rounds back in October 2019.

But if Kingad is given the choice, he would want another crack at the top-ranked contender.

"I would really like to have a rematch with him," Kingad said, after dropping his bout against the 12-time UFC flyweight titlist via unanimous decision in ONE: Century I.

"After that fight, we watched it over and over again to see what went wrong for me. We really went back to square one for me to be able to sharpen those skills that lacked against DJ," he added.

Though eventually losing against Johnson, Kingad displayed impressive prowess against the more experienced American.

And now, with his extensive training owing to the hiatus brought about the COVID-19 pandemic, Kingad wants to test out his skills anew while also hoping for a different result this time.

"It's been close to two years since we last fought and a lot has already happened in our careers," said Kingad who has since won over Xie Wei months after his loss against Johnson back in January 2020.

"I'm more than ready to take on DJ again," he added.

Johnson, for his part, absorbed a second round knockout defeat just last April when he challenged Brazil's Adriano Moraes for the ONE Flyweight World Championship.

Still, Johnson and Kingad are ranked No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, in their divisions which makes a rematch among the two flyweight contenders more likely than not.

And if Kingad's confidence in asking for another shot is any indication, Johnson may be up to a tough challenge.