“I’m Not Afraid of His Stand-Up” – Kairat Akhmetov Is Unfazed by Danny Kingad’s Striking Ability

Kairat Akhmetov is currently preparing to take on Danny Kingad at ONE: Winter Warriors II. It is a highly anticipated matchup, as both men always put on a show for the fans.

Both men have been booked to fight multiple times in the past. They were originally slated to battle in the 2019 ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix semi-final round. However, an injury to Akhmetov forced him to withdraw from the tournament. Since then, the matchup was rescheduled multiple times but kept getting canceled. Now that the bout is finally happening, ‘The Kazakh’ is raring to go.

In an interview with ONE Championship, he said, “I’m 100-percent ready with no injuries or anything bothering me. I feel excellent. I’m ready to make a show and perform at my best. The fans should expect a very uncompromising fight. It’s difficult to say [how it will go], but I know I will feel great joy and pride.”

Going into the fight, many people believe Kingad’s stand-up can trouble Akhmetov. However, he isn’t worried about it and thinks it can be him who knocks ‘The King’ out.

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He said, “[Kingad] had one knockout in the beginning of his career, but all his last fights have been won by decision, split or unanimous. He has never had knockouts, and he wants to knock me out? Yes, he has good stand-up, no questions here, but don’t be surprised if it’s me that knocks him out. I’m not afraid of his stand-up.”

“I will do stand-up and grappling. Mixed martial arts is neither kickboxing, wrestling, or any separate sport–it’s mixed martial arts. We’ll show ourselves in all aspects,” he added.

Kairat Akhmetov wants a title shot

‘The Kazakh’ is a former flyweight champion. He won the title in 2015, but after a layoff of almost two years due to injuries, he returned and lost the belt to Adriano Moraes. One of the biggest goals of Akhmetov is to fight for the belt again. He also dreams of bringing ONE event to his homeland, Kazakhstan.

He said, “After winning this bout, I would like to fight for the title, or with Demetrious Johnson in my homeland, Kazakhstan. We have business to finish with Adriano Moraes. The score is 1-1. I think we ought to make it a trilogy. But I don’t want to make guesses.”

Akhmetov is currently the number 4 ranked fighter and is on a three-fight win streak. He would look to put on an impressive performance to push his chances for a title shot.

Who do you think comes out on top in this fight? Who would like to see Akhmetov face next if he wins? Let us know in the comments section!

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