Danny Kingad says Yuya Wakamatsu doesn’t have to worry about Adriano Moraes’ hands: “His strikes don’t really deliver the power”

Danny Kingad doesn't think Yuya Wakamatsu will have to worry about Adriano Moraes' power. Emanating from the iconic Saitama Super Arena, ONE Championship heads back to Japan on Sunday, March 23 for one of the biggest fight cards of 2025—ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang.

The event is scheduled to feature five massive ONE title tilts, including a showdown between Moraes and Wakamatsu for the vacant ONE flyweight MMA world championship.

Having already stepped inside the Circle with both Moraes and Wakamatsu twice, Kingad offered his take on the pair's highly anticipated rematch in The Land of the Rising Sun.

"That really is what he’s most dangerous at, his grappling," Kingad told Sportskeeda MMA in an exclusive interview. "He’s just a really aggressive and technical grappler. When it comes to striking, he doesn’t really cause any heavy damage. His strikes don’t really deliver the power you would expect."

ONE 172 will be Adriano Moraes' second-ever meeting with Wakamatsu—the first coming at the promotion's 10th-anniversary event ONE X in March 2022. Moraes defeated the Japanese fan favorite via a third-round submission victory, setting the stage for his final two meetings with P4P great Demetrious Johnson.

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Danny Kingad expects Adriano Moraes to lean on his grappling game at ONE 172

Adding to his thoughts, Kingad suggested that Moraes will likely lean on his world-class grappling skills rather than trying to bang out a victory against a guy with 12 career knockouts on his resume.

"Adriano won't try to bang and exchange on the feet," Kingad said. "He'll strike for a bit, then change levels to bring this fight to the ground and look for the submission."

Sitting as the third-ranked contender in the division, Yuya Wakamatsu goes into ONE 172 riding a three-fight win streak, including a first-round knockout of Xie Wei followed by back-to-back unanimous decision W's over Kingad and Gilbert Nakatani.

Will Wakamatsu become a ONE world champion for the first time in his career, or will Moraes once again climb to the top of the division and kickstart his third flyweight reign?

ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang will emanate from the Saitama Super Arena in Japan on Sunday, March 23. Head over to watch.onefc.com to learn more about how you can watch the event live.