AFTER Andrew Leone recently announced his withdrawal, Danny Kingad gets a new opponent.
Japanese veteran Senzo Ikeda will fill in for Leone to face Kingad in the ONE Championship flyweight world grand prix quarter-final bout set on March 31 at the iconic Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan.
Ikeda, a Pancrase flyweight world champion just joined ONE Championship and will take part in the highly-anticipated eight-man flyweight world grand prix which kicks off on the 31st.
Ikeda, who sports a professional mixed martial arts record of 12-6-1, is a former undefeated boxer. He captured the Pancrase flyweight world championship with a unanimous decision victory over Mamoru Yamaguchi in August 2017, and is today a veteran of the Japanese martial arts scene.
Coming off a sensational fifth-round stoppage victory over fellow flyweight world grand prix entrant Yuya Wakamatsu, Ikeda now seeks to leave a lasting impression in his promotional debut as he takes on Kingad.
Kingad, a former ONE world title challenger and a premier flyweight talent from the famed Team Lakay of Baguio City, owns an impressive professional record of 12-1.
A true warrior from the mountains of the Philippines, the 23-year-old dynamo is a tremendous striker who possesses well-rounded grappling skills.
In his most recent bout, Kangad defeated rising Japanese star Tatsumitsu Wada by unanimous decision to earn a spot in the grand prix.
“ONE: A New Era” will feature ONE lightweight world champion Eduard Folayang who is set to defend his title against Japanese legend and former champion Shinya Aoki in the main event.
Also in the fight card are three co-main events.
ONE women’s strawweight world champion Xiong Jing Nan will put her belt on the line against women’s atomweight world champion Angela Lee. ONE middleweight and light heavyweight world champion Aung La N Sang will stake his middleweight crown against Japan’s Ken Hasegawa in a rematch.
ONE bantamweight world champion Kevin Belingon will defend his championship against former titleholder Bibiano Fernandes in a trilogy match.
The rest of the quarter-final bouts of the flyweight world grand prix will also feature Demetrious Johnson who is set to lock horns with Yuya Wakamatsu. In another tournament matchup, former ONE flyweight world Champion Kairat Akhmetov will battle former title challenger Reece McLaren. Also in the ONE flyweight world grand prix, Tatsumitsu Wada will share the cage with undefeated Brazilian standout Ivanildo Delfino.