“He’s really working on his ground game” - Stephen Loman says Danny Kingad is focused on grappling for Adriano Moraes rematch

Filipino bantamweight MMA fighter Stephen Loman says teammate Danny Kingad is shoring up his game, particularly on the ground, for his scheduled rematch against former ONE flyweight world champion Adriano Moraes later this year in the United States.

'The King', currently the No. 3 contender in the flyweight division, will face off with 'Mikinho' again at ONE 169 in Atlanta, Georgia, on Nov. 8. It is a rematch of their first encounter way back in 2017, which the Brazilian won by submission in the opening round.

In a recent interview with Sportskeeda MMA, Stephen Loman shared how Kingad is deep in his training for the Moraes rematch and how they at Lions Nation MMA are helping him in his preparation, including his game on the ground.

'The Sniper' said:

"Right now, he's checking with his grappling because Adriano Moraes has a great BJJ game, so Danny's really working on his ground game, especially his back take. We're always drilling his back takes.

"Many of us help him like, Jeremy [Pacatiw], Kuya Kevin [Belingon], Kuya Eduard [Folayang]; we take turns helping him out. He also attends Kuya Gibran's [Langbayan] BJJ classes for the techniques on how to properly execute a back take, and everything else when it comes to the ground game and BJJ."

ONE 169, which will take place at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, will be Kingad's second fight this year. He is out to bounce back after losing by decision to Yuya Wakamatsu of Japan back in January.

---

Stephen Loman says he could have done better in his last fight

Stephen Loman saw his world title hopes dashed in his last fight and believes he did not help his cause by not fully tapping on all the options he had in his arsenal.

'The Sniper', who was in a position to vie for the bantamweight MMA world title against reigning divisional king Fabricio Andrade, lost to former world champion John Lineker in a virtual title eliminator back in September by decision. The defeat meant that he had to wait for more time still for his long-sought world title shot.

In an interview with The MMA Superfan after his showdown with Lineker, Stephen Loman admitted that he failed to fight at a level similar to the 'Hands of Stone' and he paid dearly for it.

He said:

"I should have imposed my wrestling more. I should have timed it better and not allowed him to defend. I should have pushed the pace more. My counter striking, too. I feel like I could have done a better job. But to [Lineker's] credit, he was on a different level."

Stephen Loman has not fought since his loss to Lineker but is keeping himself busy working on his game and staying ready with his new team of Lions Nation MMA.