In a battle between two exciting young prospects on 21 April, Muhammad Aiman takes on Danny Kingad in a flyweight encounter at ONE: KINGS OF DESTINY. It will be home ground for the Philippines’ Kingad, with the bout taking place at Manila’s Mall of Asia Arena, but Malaysia’s Aiman will be looking to upset the Team Lakay standout.
Aiman has the credentials to do it, as a prominent amateur champion and now 2-1 as a professional. Big wins aren’t out of his reach either, as he showed last time when he finished third-degree BJJ black Eduardo Novaes via TKO.
The unblemished 4-0 record of his opponent will not faze Aiman, nor will the thousands of vocal Filipino fans who are sure to get behind their countryman. The 22-year-old knows he needs to go in there and focus on what he brings to the table, rather than worry about elements outside of his control.
“You’ve got to go in there and fight. I do not think about [Kingad] that much. I just think about myself and improving. Sometimes, there is no game plan. You just go in and give everything you’ve got,” said the Malaysian.
Aiman is renowned for doing just that, and his “everything” may include spinning, flying, and rolling techniques, depending what the situation calls for. This makes him a thrilling fighter to watch, and potentially an awkward one to compete against.
“If I was fighting a guy that was always doing something new, I would be a little intimidated,” he offered, trying to guess his opponent’s state of mind coming into the contest.
Nicknamed “Jungle Cat”, the unorthodox nature of the Bali MMA product will hopefully be enough to level the playing field in the cage. His performances with ONE Championship so far have been proof of his talent, and he’s gone 2-0 with the promotion since a loss in his professional debut.
Claiming a victory over an unbeaten prospect from a gym that houses world champions would do wonders for the reputation and standing of the former featherweight, and hopefully mark Aiman out as a real force to be reckoned with. After all, Kingad trains with reigning ONE Lightweight World Champion Eduard Folayang, as well as the likes of Kevin Belingon, and former ONE Featherweight World Champion Honorio Banario, who will all be competing on the same card.
As he measures his “craziness versus control”, Aiman must strike the right balance to start taking victories from increasingly formidable opponents. However, there will always be the itch to just go for broke, something in his nature that will never change – not that fans would object.
“If I can go for it, I go for it,” he states. The “it” in question could be a cartwheel kick, or the biggest win of his career behind enemy lines. On 21 April, at the Mall of Asia Arena, the world will find out, and in acrobatic fashion, no less.
