“Stay the course. Don’t play with your future” - Danny Kingad’s message to his younger self, next generation of Team Lakay athletes

At 26 years of age and going on a decade into the game, Danny Kingad considers himself a more mature mixed martial artist. The older and a wiser Filipino fighter is nothing like he was in his younger days.

The young Danny Kingad was a troubled youth who mixed in with a bad crowd and adopted many bad vices. It was only when he discovered Wushu and MMA that he turned his life around.

Now considered one of the top flyweight MMA talents in the world, Danny Kingad says he’s grateful for what he has achieved in life. That being said, if Kingad could go back in time and offer a bit of guidance to his younger self, he says he absolutely would.

Speaking to ONE Championship in a recent interview, Danny Kingad expressed his gratitude for what he has achieved in his career and in his life. He shared the message he would send to younger self.

“My message to that guy - stay focused on your family. Make sure to mold your child into the best person they can be moving forward.

“The advice is to not make the mistakes of the people around you. You have to motivate yourself in a positive way. Whatever you see wrong in your environment, in your seniors, in the people around you, don’t follow it. Stay the course. Don’t play with your future.”

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Danny Kingad is leading the way for the next generation of Team Lakay athletes

Danny Kingad returns to action this Friday night against No. 4-ranked flyweight contender and former ONE flyweight world champion Kairat ‘The Kazakh’ Akhmetov.

The two square off in the main event of ONE: Winter Warriors II, a previously recorded event from the Singapore Indoor Stadium which airs via tape delay on December 17.

Kingad's performances serve as motivation for many of his constituents at Team Lakay, younger fighters like Jhanlo Sangiao and the next generation of the Baguio City-stable.

Danny Kingad knew what it was like to be in their shoes, young and with the whole world at their feet. He also knows that the decisions he made along the way led him to where he is today. ‘The King’ is happy to serve as a beacon of guidance for his juniors.

“I don’t know, I never expected to be in this position during that time. Maybe it’s God’s gift to me. I’m very thankful that he gave me this opportunity. Now I can share it and pay it forward to the people who were like me when I was younger and push them to chase their dreams.”