Danny Kingad will once again challenge Adriano Moraes at ONE 169.
Lito Adiwang believes Danny Kingad should look to his former teammate Geje Eustaquio for the blueprint to beating Adriano Moraes.
With the #3-ranked Kingad ready to tangle with the division’s top-ranked contender this Saturday, November 9, at ONE 169: Malykhin vs. Reug Reug, Adiwang credited Eustaquio for his game plan in the final two fights of his trilogy with Moraes.
After Eustaquio was submitted in their first fight, a busier and more aggressive “Gravity” showed up in the second and scored the upset decision win over the Brazilian to unify the ONE Flyweight MMA World Title.
He did that again in their third fight, and while he lost, it was a highly competitive back-and-forth matchup between the two.
The takeaway for Adiwang? Eustaquio didn’t respect his opponent’s supposed grappling advantage.
“I’ve watched some Moraes fights. One example was his trilogy versus Geje. If you’re too focused on stopping his takedowns and defending his submissions, he’ll just find another takedown or submission until he gets you,” Adiwang said.
“In his [last two] fights with Geje, Geje didn’t respect [his BJJ advantage]. Geje attempted a takedown and Geje attempted a submission, and that threw Moraes off guard,” he added.
“That’s something that I want to see from Danny, don’t just scramble and move out, try to scramble, create an opening and counter, and take control. That’s one of Moraes’ weaknesses.”
Adiwang believes that if there’s a time for Kingad to break out, it’s in this fight considering Moraes isn’t getting any younger.
“This is it for Danny. As his friend, as a [former] teammate, I want to push him, [tell him] that this is it. This is your time,” Adiwang said.
“Moraes is on a decline and it’s yours for the taking. I believe in Danny. I see his potential. All he has to do is unleash it. He just has to believe.”