“It’s Danny’s time” - Lito Adiwang says former teammate Danny Kingad evolved since first match with Adriano Moraes

Filipino strawweight fighter Lito Adiwang believes former teammate Danny Kingad will perform better in his scheduled rematch with erstwhile ONE flyweight MMA world champion Adriano Moraes next month. He said that 'The King' has evolved as a fighter since his first showdown with 'Mikinho' and should come up with a win this time around.

Kingad will battle Moraes at ONE 169: Malykhin vs. 'Reug Reug' on Nov. 8. It is part of the event happening at the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, and airing live and for free to North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.

In an interview with Sportskeeda MMA, Lito Adiwang shared his thoughts on Moraes-Kingad II, underscoring that Kingad is now more primed to take the thunder from Moraes.

'Thunder Kid' said:

"It's the opposite for Moraes. For me. I think Moraes' peak is during his fights with Geje [Eustaquio]. But now, I think it's Danny's time. I feel that Adriano is on the decline, while Danny is on the rise. So I wish and pray that Danny will have a clear mindset and game plan for this fight."

Lito Adiwang added:

"Adriano's biggest advantage here is his championship-level experience. We've seen it against Demetrious Johnson, and I also saw it when he fought Eugene Toquero, where he almost got knocked out but he came back and submitted the guy. Adriano looked well on his way to losing that time, but he came back and found a way to submit him. That's where I'm worried about, because that's his edge over Danny -- he can find ways to finish the fight."

Kingad fought Moraes for the first time in November 2017, losing by submission in the opening round. He is now looking to exact payback at ONE 169 while also trying to put himself in a position to vie for the vacant ONE flyweight MMA world title next.

Both Kingad and Adiwang used to be part of Team Lakay before they decided to move on and join other teams to further grow as fighters.

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Lito Adiwang also on the rise

While he believes that Danny Kingad is now primed for bigger things, Lito Adiwang is looking sharp as well following a lengthy break to recover from a knee injury. He has won three straight since his return and is out for more.

'Thunder Kid' made his comeback in September last year, fashioning out a 23-second TKO win over Indonesian Adrian Mattheis. He then followed it up with decision victory over fellow Filipino fighter Jeremy Miado in their rematch last November. His most recent win was back in February over Australian fighter Danial WIlliams, also by decision.

Adiwang injured his knee in his first enounter with Miado in March 2022. What followed was over a year of recovery.