Geje “Gravity” Eustaquio, 29, and Danny “The King” Kingad, 23, are among the best mixed martial artists currently competing in the flyweight division of ONE Championship. Both are training out of Team Lakay in Baguio City, Philippines.
Eustaquio became the ONE Flyweight World Champion on June 23, 2018 but lost the belt to Adriano “Mikinho” Moraes, 29, of Brazil on January 25, 2019 via unanimous decision. ONE Championship has yet to announce what is next for Eustaquio.
On the other hand, Kingad is set to face Senzo Ikeda, 36, of Japan in the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix quarter-finals at “ONE: A New Era” on March 31, 2019 at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan. Recently, the Filipino contender shared Eustaquio’s advice to him prior to the bout.
“I know this bout against Ikeda is going to be a tough one,” Kingad shared. “Geje told me to never let my fights go to the judges’ decision and to always look to finish. He knows my skills and capabilities very well, so his advice for me was to sharpen my finishing skills and end every match as quickly as I can.”
One goal Kingad has in mind for the matchup is to make sure it does not go the full duration. The overall focus of his training camp was to work on finishing ability.
At a young age, Kingad made his presence known. He opened his professional career with five straight wins that culminated with a title shot against Moraes where he suffered his only loss in his career.
After the loss to Moraes, Kingad picked himself up and went on a four-bout winning streak. This has made the Team Lakay fighter even more confident in himself as he climbs his way back up the flyweight ladder.
Kingad is among the early favorites to win the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix quarter-finals. While he is one of the youngest flyweight ONE Championship fighters, he has shown incredible potential in his career by dominating with his strength, athleticism and superior skill.
Including Kingad, three Filipinos are on the “ONE: A New Era” card. The other two are also from Team Lakay, namely reigning ONE Bantamweight World Champion Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon, 31, and reigning ONE Lightweight World Champion Eduard “Landslide” Folayang, 35.
Meanwhile, here are Eustaquio and Kingad in a ONE Championship press conference earlier this year:
CONAN Daily 