MMA: Kingad returns to action vs Saputra in February

Danny “The King” Kingad returns to the ONE Championship cage next month against a fast-rising Indonesian MMA star.

The No. 3-ranked flyweight faces Eko Roni Saputra in the main card of ONE Fight Night 7: Lineker vs. Andrade II on February 25 at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

Kingad was supposed to join his Team Lakay squad in ONE’s return to Manila last December, but his opponent Gurdarshan Mangat had to withdraw from the bout due to injury.

Now Kingad will finally get a chance to bounce back after his decision loss to Kairat Akhmetov, and he will try to do that by stopping the red-hot Saputra, who’s riding a seven-fight winning streak.

• MMA: Danny Kingad set sights on 2 top flyweights for his return

In that stretch, Saputra scored five submissions, but he also proved that he’s got power in his hands after knocking out Liu Peng Shuai in 2021.

While he’s been taking care of business in the Circle, he hasn’t faced someone like Kingad, who's probably be the most explosive athlete on the dynamic Team Lakay roster.

That means he can hang with the Indonesian’s wrestling and also has the capabilities to light him up on the feet, should the match stay there.

While a win will be crucial for Saputra and his hopes of barging into the rankings, this bout is equally as important for Kingad, especially since he’s looking for a rematch against either Demetrious Johnson or Adriano Moraes.

• MMA: Kingad wants another shot at ONE crown

Johnson and Moraes will be wrapping up their trilogy for the American’s ONE flyweight title at ONE Fight Night 10 in May, and an impressive win for Kingad could put him right back into the title mix.

Kingad and Saputra will be joining a stacked card bannered by the massive rematch between John Lineker and Fabricio Andrade for the vacant ONE bantamweight title.