Former ONE flyweight MMA world champion Adriano Moraes hopes Danny Kingad brings the very best version of himself in their ONE 169 rematch.
The top-ranked contender aims to return to winning ways under the ONE Championship spotlight when he squares off against the No.3-ranked flyweight superstar inside the Lumpinee Stadium this Friday, Nov. 8.
Though he'd fancy his chances over the Lions Nation MMA representative, the Brazilian veteran wants to do so against a prime Kingad, as he told Sports Illustrated recently:
"Seven years ago, me and [Kingad], we were [different] fighters. Today, we are [different] fighters. I think everybody evolved a lot. It's gonna be a huge, different time for me. I want to see the best Danny ever."
The 36-year-old can expect to face a different fighter than the one he beat via an opening-round submission at ONE: Legends of the World in Nov. 2017. 'The King' has made steady growth in his arsenal since going down to 'Mikinho' in their ONE flyweight MMA world title joust.
Primarily a striker, the 29-year-old has poured his heart into upgrading his ground game, and it has shown in his fights against Demetrious Johnson, Kairat Akhmetov, and Reece McLaren.
While he'll still have it all to do against Moraes' world-class ground game acumen, Kingad should be able to fare much better, if he gets entangled with Moraes on the canvas at ONE 169.
Adriano Moraes eager to remind everyone why he's the best flyweight at ONE 169
After going down to Demetrious Johnson twice and losing his crown in the process, Adriano Moraes is determined to remind everyone why he's one of the best to ever do it at ONE 169.
In the same interview with Sports Illustrated, he continued:
"I'm really excited for my next fight. I can't wait to be back, show everybody why I'm the champion, why I was the champion."
Johnson vacated the divisional gold after calling time on his glorious career at ONE 168: Denver.
With the 26 pounds of gold now up for grabs, Adriano Moraes knows that there will be no better time for him to pick up his career than an emphatic win over Kingad on fight night.
North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription can catch the entire ONE 169 card live in U.S. primetime for free this Friday, November 8.