“I just shook my head” – Striker Danial Williams admits he felt like a fish out of water after grueling wrestling class

Multi-sport ONE athlete Danial Williams now understands why wrestling is considered the hardest sport in the world.

‘Mini T’ has discovered a newfound appreciation for one of the oldest forms of combat after enduring a grueling wrestling-exclusive camp.

In an interview with ONE Championship, Williams recalled fine-tuning the biggest weakness in his game so far, particularly in the grappling department.

By the looks of it, he got more than what he bargained for.

The Australian-Thai slugger shared:

“After the Jonathan Di Bella fight, I went to my first wrestling class, and I just shook my head, man. I’m like, ‘I’ve had eight pro fights in MMA, and I haven’t consistently spent a good chunk of time in the wrestling department.’"

Danial Williams, who has a 24-10 career record in Muay Thai and kickboxing, has also been impressive in MMA, where he won six of his first eight bouts.

Five of those victories have come by knockout, including highlight reel-worthy wins over Dejdamrong and Zelang Zhaxi under the ONE banner.

Then again, his lack of experience on the grappling side of things is his kryptonite, which we saw in his previous defeat against Jeremy Miado in 2022.

If Danial Williams can shore up his wrestling, he’ll certainly be one of the most fearsome ‘sprawl-and-brawl’ fighters, especially in the talent-stacked strawweight MMA division.

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Danial Williams’ improved wrestling will come in handy against Lito Adiwang

On February 16, Danial Williams will look to return to the winner’s column by halting the momentum of the red-hot Lito Adiwang.

These two certified finishers will collide at ONE Fight Night 19: Haggerty vs. Lobo on Prime Video in a three-round firefight.

While ‘Thunder Kid’ also loves to stand and bang like Williams, the Filipino may opt to capitalize on Williams’ shortcomings on the ground and turn this into a grappling match.

Let’s see if ‘Mini T’ will show improvements in that aspect of his game and steal Lito Adiwang’s thunder.

ONE Fight Night 19 will air live on US Primetime on February 16 from Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. The full event is free of charge for existing Prime Video subscribers in North America.