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ONE Championship aims to close out the year with a bang with Winter Warriors II. Set for December 17, the event will close out an epic year of fights by showcasing an all-MMA main card. Winter Warriors II will feature four members of the feared Filipino stable team Lakay Wushu.
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Known to be descendants of warrior tribes from the mountainous regions of the Philippines, Team Lakay is a powerhouse MMA gym. Feared for their break-neck pace, outstanding kickboxing and cardio for days, the MMA stable has produced numerous ONE champions over the years.
The main event of Winter Warriors II will feature one of the team's most well-rounded products, Danny 'The King' Kingad. The 14-2 Kingad will finally face former ONE flyweight champion Kairat 'The Kazakh' Akhmetov in a bout that’s been two years in the making.
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The pair were originally slated to fight in the ONE Championship flyweight World Grand Prix semifinals in 2019. However, due to an unfortunate injury, Akhmetov was forced to withdraw from the tournament. After many delays, the matchup has been set for December 17 and the stakes are higher than ever.
'The King' could be just one win away from securing a rematch with ONE flyweight world champion Adriano “Mikinho” Moraes. The two met in 2017 and 'Mikinho' handed Kingad his first professional loss. Kingad would love to rematch the champion and then proceed to face Demetrious 'Mighty Mouse' Johnson to avenge his only other loss.
Akhmetov, however, is just as motivated as 'The King', if not more. 'The Kazakh' also suffered his first defeat at the hands of Moraes. The Brazilian champ beat Akhmetov for the ONE Championship flyweight belt in their rematch back in 2017.
When an interim title was created shortly after, Akhmetov fell short again. This time to Kingad’s teammate, Geje 'Gravity' Eustaquio.
Akhmetov is currently riding a three-fight winning streak with plenty of momentum. Nothing would make the former Greco-Roman wrestling champion happier than exacting revenge on team Lakay. Once he takes out Kingad, 'The Kazakh' wants to secure a world title trilogy with Moraes hopefully by next year.
Danny Kingad vs. Kairat Akhmetov headlines ONE Championship: Winter Warriors II
On paper, the main event of ONE Championship: Winter Warriors II looks like a classic 'striker vs. grappler' affair. The devil, however, is in the details.
As mentioned earlier, Kingad is one of the more well-rounded fighters from the Wushu-based team Lakay. 'The King' marvelously translates his kinetic energy from stand-up to the ground seamlessly.
For Akhmetov, the wrestling standout is more than just bodylocks and double-legs. 'The Kazakh' has shown that he has improved his striking by beating ONE Championship flyweight contender Reece McLaren in a stand-up battle:
Kingad is a striker with competitive grappling skills while Akhmetov is a grappler that can hang in there with strikers. This ONE Championship main event will certainly be a thrilling addition to the list of memorable ONE events this year.
