Don’t Harm Your Law Firm with These Five Website Translation Mistakes

A website is the ‘shop window’ for professional services such as Law Offices. It’s also often the first port of call for potential clients looking for these services. It is crucial that a website conveys qualities of trust and credibility in all the languages of its audiences. Doing so supports the reputation built by these firms.

How information is displayed on a law firm’s website in all languages is of principal importance for building trust and creating a good impression. To effectively convey your branded message to all target audiences, official translation and localization must be at the heart of your website strategy.

Examples of website translation mistakes are easy to find and, fortunately, easy to avoid if you have the right tools and prior knowledge. Below are five of the most common mistakes made by law firms, along with advice to prevent falling into the same traps.

The Lure of Machine Translation
The temptation of machine translation for creating multilingual websites at a low cost and quick turnaround lures many firms towards these services. However, the poor syntax, grammar, and cultural insensitivity that results can damage credibility and create a poor first impression.

Translated landing pages will reach a wider audience, but if a confusing message about your services is conveyed you will be unable to convert people to paying clients.
Hiring professional legal translation services are the most cost-effective and efficient way of avoiding this mistake.

Experienced legal translators will be subject matter experts in the relevant legal fields. They’ll have the appropriate skills and tool at their disposal to optimize your pages for search engines through their understanding of localizing content for target demographics.

Unintelligible Automatic Responses
After taking the time to translate and localize web copy, the next steps of the conversion funnel must be considered.

Beginning your conversation in a prospect’s language only for auto-replies to arrive in a language that is unintelligible to them is certain to disrupt their journey.

Sensitive, technical, and urgent legal matters rely on clear understanding on both sides. It is essential that all steps of a prospect’s journey are delivered in a language that they can understand to ensure business is not lost.


Translate Profiles and Descriptions

Often, website visitors will have been directed to your firm by recommendations from friends, family, or colleagues. In their search for a legal firm to take on their case, lawyer profiles and service descriptions will enable them to make their decision. To avoid losing this warm lead, your lawyer’s profiles and descriptions should be translated. Doing so will also decrease bounce rates and improve conversions.
Google Analytics will provide the information necessary to ascertain which lawyer profiles receive the highest inbound traffic, allowing you to prioritize which profiles to translate first. This will confer the greatest impact in the shortest time to provide you with a quick win for your firm’s website.


Localizing Marketing Assets

Translating marketing assets such as email communications and newsletters for audiences of other languages is worth your time.

The use of email and newsletters to connect with all clients is an essential part of your marketing team’s toolkit. As these are often the first point of contact, translations must be of the highest quality.
Sending translated newsletters and emails to arrive on national holidays that are relevant to your target audience will demonstrate an understanding of their culture as well as their language. They will also provide an opportunity to build trust and credibility with your audience.

Supporting Clients Beyond Your Website
Creating multilingual websites that avoid the pitfalls above will be ineffective if your firm cannot support clients beyond their digital interactions in these languages. Think beyond your website to ensure you can integrate website initiatives with your internal and customer support initiatives.

Think about the entire client journey: If they call with a query, can your customer support team converse over the phone or via email in a language that they can comprehend? If a client needs to supply further documentation pertaining to their case, can your firm interpret them so that they can be understood?

Speaking a client’s language at all points of their interaction with your law firm will allow you to establish trust, build credibility, and develop a professional relationship with them. You can always opt to include a part of your website listing the different languages you service.

Demonstrating a clear understanding of your audience by communicating in a language they understand will convince clients that your firm is able to tailor its services to their requirements. It will also win you additional recommendations for further business. By starting with accurate website translations, the entire onboarding process from visitor to client becomes faster, easier, and overall more effective.

About the Author: Morningside Translations is a leading translation and localization company with a worldwide team of over 5000 linguists. They are dedicated to client satisfaction and in bridging the gap in communication between businesses languages. They bring personalized attention and a passion for excellence to every translation assignment, regardless of company size or industry.

Asia's Pop Sweetheart Julie Anne San Jose Signs with Universal Records

Kapuso Singer-Actress Julie Anne San Jose inked her recording contract on October 27, 2017 at Universal Records office. Present during the signing are Universal Records General Manager Kathleen Dy Go, Operations Manager Peter Chan, Senior AVP for Alternative Productions of GMA Gigi Santiago-Lara and Julie Anne San Jose. She joins Jose Mari Chan, Gary Valenciano, Christian Bautista, Noel Cabangon, Parokya ni Edgar, Gloc-9, Sponge Cola, Aiza Seguerra, Claudia Barretto, Donny Pangilinan and Elmo Magalona, in the elite roster of Universal Records’ prime artists.



Julie started her music career at very young age. In 2005, she was part of SugarPop and when the group disbanded she pursued a solo career. Her eponymous debut album, Julie Anne San Jose, was certified Diamond Record while her sophomore album, Deeper, went Triple Platinum. Her third one Chasing The Light shot to the top of several Digital Charts upon release! Julie has also done three solo concerts, all of which were sold out. She’s currently a mainstay of Sunday Pinasaya and Pepito Manaloto.

Julie will be releasing new music under Universal Records in 2018. Watch out for it!

Kevin Chung Kooks to Seize Opportunity of a Lifetime at ONE: LEGENDS OF THE WORLD

Kevin “Old Boy” Chung may be a fresh face to ONE Championship, but the promotional newcomer showed his immense talent and had an impressive debut this past June.

The 24-year-old Korean-American standout kicked off the main card of ONE: LIGHT OF A NATION with an exciting performance, defeating Chinese grappling ace Zhong Qing Ya via second-round technical knockout in their catchweight contest.

Chung got the job done in the second round, where he landed crisp punches and kicks from side control, and when Zhong turtled up, “Old Boy” took advantage of the position and delivered a pair of knees to the head.

It was all over from there as veteran referee Yuji Shimada stepped in and called a halt to the bout to award the stoppage victory to Chung.

Chung is taking the greatest risk of his budding young career in his next trip to the ONE Championship cage as he has an opportunity to establish himself as one of the premier bantamweights under the promotion’s banner.

In his upcoming bout, Chung is set to test his mettle with former world title contender Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon on the undercard of ONE: LEGENDS OF THE WORLD, which takes place at the 20,000-seater SM Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines on 10 November.

“I am super excited to visit the Philippines and put on a show. I know I am in his backyard, but I have no pressure on me like I did when I competed locally. It is going to be a wild night,” Chung said.

With a professional record of 16-5, Belingon is known as a fierce competitor with the ability to finish opponents in a variety of methods.

Moreover, the 29-year-old Baguio City native owns seven huge knockouts on his resume and is one of the most feared strikers in ONE Championship’s deep bantamweight division.

Although a mere glance at their records shows a sizeable gap in experience between the two bantamweights, Chung is confident in his own talent.

“To the common eye, it may be a mismatch on paper due to records and experience. But I am confident in my skills and feel like this is my time. Anything can happen, and I have the skills to finish him,” he stated.

Chung believes that great risks result to great rewards as a decisive win over Belingon could instantly catapult him into a championship clash with division kingpin Bibiano “The Flash” Fernandes.

“I am not looking past Belingon and am just focused on the task at hand. However, when my hand is raised, I would like to challenge Bibiano Fernandes in Korea,” he expressed.

Like Chung, Belingon is looking to get a crack at Fernandes’ ONE Bantamweight World Championship once again, separating himself from the rest of the weight class’ pack with his three-bout winning streak.

Belingon aced his last three outings, dominating Tajikistan’s Muin Gafurov via unanimous decision in October of last year before stopping fellow title challengers Toni “Dynamite” Tauru and Reece “Lightning” McLaren in the first round earlier this year.

Even though Belingon has the upper hand in the striking department, Chung has no qualms when it comes to trading kicks and punches with the ferocious Filipino striker.

“A lot of people will look at us and say he has the striking advantage. But I have a slight height and reach advantage,” he explained.

“I feel like I can stand with him. A lot of guys do not believe they can and look to wrestle, but I think I can hurt him on the feet. It is a great feeling knowing that. If there is any point in the bout when I am in trouble, I know that I have other weapons to go to,” Chung added.

Chung asserted that he has a fair share of knowledge in terms of delivering blows from a toe-to-toe stance, but if the marquee match-up hits the canvas, he is prepared to exploit the Filipino foe’s perceived vulnerability.

“I know what his weaknesses are. I am sure he is working hard to correct that. Learning the proper mechanics of BJJ takes longer than a few months. Once we get in there and start throwing hands and it hits the ground, he is going to see that,” he mentioned.

With a gritty opposition in front of him, Chung stressed that he is motivated to shock the world at ONE: LEGENDS OF THE WORLD.

“It will be a barnburner, and I promise it will be the bout of the night. I will knock Belingon out within the time allowed,” he ended.

​​For more updates on ONE Championship, please visit www.onefc.com, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @ONEChampionship, and like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ONEChampionship.

Miss Universe 2015 Makes A Stand at Love Gala As Ripple Awards Nominees are Revealed

With the revelation of the 20 Ripple Awards nominees, Miss Universe 2015 and UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador for Asia and the Pacific Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach explained the importance to support and honor HIV and AIDS advocates through events like the Love Gala –Asia’s Premier Charity and Awards event on December 1.

Wurtzbach, who is the Love Gala Ambassador, said, "It's about time that we acknowledge them, gave them their time to shine, especially on an event like this."

"Hopefully, it'll give them a lot more motivation and drive to continue their work," the former Miss Universe said.

Exceptional social advocates, influential people, game-changers, celebrities, local and international officials and advocacy groups are among those who will make a stand during the World AIDS Day celebration on the same day.

Love Gala will take place at the elegant BGC Arts Center in Taguig City.

During the gala, ten (10) outstanding Filipino individuals will be awarded with the first-ever Ripple Awards, which symbolizes a person’s unparalleled dedication and passion in changing the landscape of HIV-AIDS advocacy in the country and the world over.

The Ripple Awards nominations closed last 15 September, and screening commenced after in which viable nominees are further evaluated by a sectoral panel of judges to complete the roster of awardees.

One of the highlights of the Gala is a charity fashion show featuring one-of-a-kind creations by five of the Philippine’s top couturiers who have earned the respect of the international fashion industry, namely: Francis Libiran, Cary Santiago, Nat Manilag, Cheeta Rivera and John Herrera.

The event also boasts of world-class performances by Filipino talents. Conceptual photographer and advocate, Niccolo Cosme, will also display his artworks under his series, “Project Headshot Clinic X,” which celebrates its 10th year on World AIDS Day.

An after party will be held at Nectar Nightclub along BGC Fort Strip.

Help and take part in fighting the HIV epidemic by being a donor-guest and purchasing Love Gala tickets here http://lovegala.org/tickets/. Donor-guests can reserve the following seats: VIP (P7,000.00); Patron (P5,000.00); Balcony A (P1,500.00) and Balcony B (P1,000.00). Ten percent (10%) of the ticket prices will benefit the worthwhile activities of partner organization.

Joining this year’s Love Gala is Miss Universe 2015 and UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador for Asia and the Pacific, Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach.

The Love Gala organization believes that “a single person's act of love can start a wave that can save millions of people.”

The Love Gala is a collaboration of private and public institutions and youth-oriented organizations that aim to augment the efforts in mainstreaming the HIV-AIDS advocacy to a larger audience, as around 30 incidences of HIV infection are observed everyday in the country, according to the latest data from Department of Health.

Institutions and organizations coming together for Love Gala are the following: AIDS Healthcare Foundation, Better Together Initiative, Black Maria Productions, Castro Communications, Decent Image of South Signal Association (DIOSSA), Dentsu, Nectar Nightclub, Philippine National AIDS Council, Pinoy Plus Association Incorporated, Positibong Marino Philippines, Sustained Health Initiatives of the Philippines (SHIP), Taguig City Government, The Red Whistle, The LoveYourself Incorporated, UNAIDS, the US Embassy and World Health Organization-Philippines.

DOTr, Attached Agencies on Heightened Alert for Undas 2017

Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Arthur P. Tugade today ordered the activation of Oplan Biyaheng Ayos: UNDAS 2017, directing all DOTr offices and attached agencies to be on heightened alert to ensure the safety and security of passengers travelling during Undas.

Oplan Biyaheng Ayos: UNDAS 2017 will be implemented from October 30 – November 6, at which time all transportation agencies are ordered to carry out 24/7 operations in terms of providing assistance to motorists and passengers.

All transport terminals, booths, and counters must be manned at all times during the monitored travel period to ensure safety of passengers as well as prevent long queues and other untoward incidents. The concerned offices and agencies were also directed to communicate accidents and emergencies in real time and keep all hotlines and feedback mechanisms operational and adequately manned.

Public advisories such as safety tips, common types of violations at expressways, and safety and security regulations in airports, seaports, and other transportation hubs shall be issued. Tarpaulins bearing emergency and hotline numbers will be posted in conspicuous areas of the agency’s jurisdiction.

DOTr attached agencies and offices were also instructed to submit a post-Undas report for evaluation.

New Policy on Renewable Energy (RE) to Help Rural Communities

In the continuing effort to increase consumer access to clean and sustainable energy, the National Renewable Energy Board (NREB) is conducting a series of public consultations to promulgate a new policy on renewable energy (RE) utilization in the off-grid areas, or for consumers in remote areas like islands, mountains and far-away villages.

The consultations focus on the rules and guidelines for the Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) for Off-grid areas, a policy mechanism requiring electric power industry participants such as generators, distribution utilities, and suppliers to source or produce a specified fraction of the electricity they generate from eligible RE resources.

The consultations are being held with the support of the Department of Energy and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through its Building Low Emission Alternatives to Develop Economic Resilience and Sustainability Project.

“The proposed RPS rules for off-grid areas will contribute to the growth of the renewable energy industry through increased development and utilization of RE resources in the countryside where significant percentage are using expensive fuels. Thus we will be able to diversify energy supply,” Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi said.

“Ultimately, we see this to spur socio-economic development and help address environmental concerns,” he added.

The Luzon leg of the public consultations for RPS was conducted on 5 October in Puerto Princesa City and on 12 October in Pastor Village, Batangas City.

In the Visayas, the public consultation is scheduled Thursday (26 October) in Lahug, Cebu City.

On the other hand, the fourth and last leg of the public consultation will be on 6 November in Cagayan de Oro City.

Among the issues discussed during the earlier consultations include roles and responsibilities, pricing, competitive selection process and public bidding, monitoring and transparency, academic participation, long term plans and programs, technology, transmission, permitting, relevant RE policies and even international commitments on greenhouse gas emission reduction.

The public consultations were attended by participants from national government agencies, RE proponents and developers, distribution utilities, electric cooperatives and the academe, among other energy stakeholders.

Led by NREB RPS Off-grid Committee Chair Urbano Mendiola and NREB Chairman Atty. Jose Layug Jr., the public consultations provided a venue to present the latest draft of the RPS Off-grid guidelines and to gather comments and suggestions from stakeholders before its implementation.

The DOE also welcomes additional recommendations on the NREB proposed policy from the public, especially from the primary RE stakeholders. All interested stakeholders may send comments until 10 November 2017 at email: techsec.nreb@gmail.com. An electronic copy of the NREB proposed policy is downloadable at the DOE official website: www.doe.gov.ph.

The issuance of the RPS guidelines is based on Republic Act No. 9513 or the Renewable Energy Act of 2008, which aims to increase the utilization of RE by enhancing national and local capabilities.

Form Out of Material. Material Out of Form

Delgado, Pérez, Yamagata
November 11 – December 29, 2017

Opening reception:
November 11, Saturday at 4pm
Galleria Duemila
210 Loring St. 1300 Pasay City

Galleria Duemila proudly presents a three-woman exhibit of Visual Artists Monica Delgado, Michelle Pérez and Atsuko Yamagata. Closing the year with an exhibit on form and material, the three artists delve on the physicality of paint and the utilization of material eventually composed into processual emotions and intimate intentions.

Monica Delgado, stretching the boundaries of painting, has been practicing the medium through various processes such as squeezed, dripped and spreaded out resulting into collaged, stacked and layered works that blur the lines between mere painting, sculpture and object.

Participating in different international art fairs and exhibiting in different galleries in the Philippines, Singapore, Mexico and the U.S, Monica Delgado is bringing her expertise in non-traditional painting to different continents alike.

Michelle Pérez, is continuously developing the idea of paint. The new works composed are bursts of hues, rallying away from the bold, singular colors of works from old. Holes, a recent element in her pieces, inhabit and intrigued a set of her art. Her process of handling paint is an experimental play on the capability of the medium and how it all comes together.



Trained in drawing, mixed media and courses in impressionist painting in the Kuring-gai Art Centre in Sydney, Australia, Michelle Perez has been bringing light emotions into diffused colors using ubiquitous media.

Atsuko Yamagata, utilizing organic materials such as handmade paper and ink, is deeply inspired into the movement of nature, an elegance drawn in the history of her home country and influenced with the Filipino contemporaries she is surrounded by.

Exhibiting between Japan and the Philippines, Atsuko Yamagata has been true to her roots and is currently expanding her practice in the country.



Form Out of Material. Material Out of Form runs from November 11 - December 29, 2017.

Opening reception will be on November 11, Saturday at 4pm at Galleria Duemila located at 210 Loring St. 1300 Pasay City. Like our Facebook Page at facebook.com/galleriaduemila and
follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @galleriaduemila.

Philippines’ Urban Crew Brought the House Down with their Dance Choreography

Philippines’ Urban Crew (#FlyersoftheSouth) owned the stage with a high-octane mix of mind-blowing spins, flips and tosses in last night’s episode of Asia’s Got Talent. 

The audience and judges were blown away with their boundless energy and professional choreography.

“That was so amazing!” David declared, “And in 50, 100 years from now when you leave this planet, you’re going to leave the Philippines in a better place because of what you’re doing.”

“You guys definitely blow all the other acrobatic teams out of the water with what you guys just did. Wow! That was amazing,” Jay said.

“I am in awe! It’s almost like we are celebrating what a body can do when you push that hard. It was really impressive!” Anggun added.

Back in the Philippines, members of Urban Crew teach dancing to kids in hopes of instilling good habits and take them away from vices. They are hoping to use Asia’s Got Talent as a platform to inspire kids back in the Philippines to follow their dreams, and use the prize money of US$100,000 to give back to their community.

Urban Crew received three yeses and they are now in the running to appear in the Semi-Finals.

For more exclusive behind-the-scenes clips, subscribe to Asia’s Got Talent Official YouTube Channel at www.YouTube.com/AsiasGotTalent. For a full recap of past episodes, visit www.AXN-Asia.com/AsiasGotTalent/Episodes. 

A new episode of Asia’s Got Talent airs every Thursday at 8:30pm on AXN. To follow the journey of this season’s acts, check out #AXNAsia and #AsiasGotTalent.

Asia’s Got Talent is the 67th adaptation of the Guinness-World-Record-breaking hit “Got Talent” format, which was created by Simon Cowell’s Syco Entertainment and is co-produced by FremantleMedia. The “Got Talent” format is officially the most successful reality TV format in history and currently airs in 186 countries.

Asia’s Got Talent is supported by presenting sponsor Traveloka, the leading travel booking app for all flight and hotel needs; sponsoring partner Great Eastern Life, the market leader in the conventional life insurance business and the largest life insurer in Malaysia by asset size; and GoDaddy, the world's largest cloud platform dedicated to small, independent ventures.

In the Philippines, Asia’s Got Talent is brought to you by Cherifer, Tangkad Sagad, KFC Delivery and Vivo Smart Phone.

Marina Bay Sands, Asia’s leading business, leisure and entertainment destination, is the official venue partner of Asia’s Got Talent.

@AsiasGotTalent / #AXNAsia / #AsiasGotTalent / #AsiasGotTalentAuditions
www.AXN-Asia.com/AsiasGotTalent

AXN is available on Cablelink Channel 38, Cignal Channel 121, Destiny Cable Channel 61, Dream Satellite TV Channel 20, G Sat Channel 51, and SKYCable Channel 49. AXN HD is available on SKYCable Channel 247.

[Editors’ note: Hi-res images, judges’ information and press releases are available to download via www.AXN-Asia.com/AGT2Press] 

NEC Releases New High-end HPC Product Line, SX-Aurora TSUBASA

New computing platform expands the horizons of supercomputing, Artificial Intelligence and Big Data analytics -


NEC Corporation recently announced the launch of a new high-end HPC product line, the SX-Aurora TSUBASA. This new platform drastically increases processing performance and scalability on real world applications, aiming for the traditional application areas, such as science and engineering, but also targeting the new fields of Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence and Big Data analytics. With this new technology, NEC opens supercomputing to a wide range of new markets, in addition to the traditional HPC arena.

Utilizing cutting-edge chip integration technology, the new product features a complete multi-core vector processor in the form of a card-type Vector Engine (VE), which is developed based on NEC’s high-density interface technology and efficient cooling technology.

Kimihiko Fukuda, Executive Vice President, NEC Corporation, said, “The new product addresses the needs of scalar computational capability while still providing the efficiency of a vector architecture. This is accomplished through a tightly integrated complete vector system in the form of a Vector Engine Card.”

“We provide a comprehensive range of products to address widely diversified needs, from a deskside tower for the individual scientist, to a high-end system for large computer centers. Compared to NEC’s previous generation platform, the SX-Aurora TSUBASA is highly power efficient and compact, providing five times the performance per Watt, and ten times the performance per square meter of floor space.”



This new product line is not only binary compatible, it features the same hardware architecture and software environment, which is ideal for software developers and enables users to run the same application for a variety of systems, ranging from a deskside tower to the largest high-end configuration, without having to make changes inside the application.

NEC will present the SX-Aurora TSUBASA at the world’s largest international supercomputing conference and exhibition, “SC17,” from November 13 to 16, 2017, Denver, Colorado, U.S.A.

Danny Kingad Balances Life as College Student and World Title Contender

In a typical Filipino household, parents encourage their children to exert effort in their studies to have good grades on their report cards in order to eventually have a bright future.

When parents talk of a “bright future,” they refer to white-collared professions like donning a white medical gown with a stethoscope in hand, wearing a business suit in a corporate setting, or holding a blueprint on a high-rise site with a hard hat.

However, the story mood takes a dismally sharp turn when a child opts to instead wear four-ounce gloves to compete in three to five-round bouts for cold cash.

Prizefighting does not require an educational background, which is why most people connote a social stigma to it by assuming that all it takes is hard guts to endure the punishing blows inside a ring or cage.

On the contrary, homegrown Filipino talent Danny “The King” Kingad is bent on breaking the stereotype to prove that not all professional competitors fit into this erroneous category.

Team Lakay’s Kingad, who takes up a bachelor’s degree in education at the University of the Cordilleras, has pursued his dream to be a mixed martial arts athlete while diligently working on his homework to get a college diploma.

Similar to a comic-book superhero with two different lives, Kingad wears his school uniform in the morning with his books. Meanwhile, he puts on his training clothes to hit some punch mitts and kick pads in the afternoon.

Kingad admitted that it is not easy balancing his time between mixed martial arts and his studies, but he is prepared to do what it takes for his passion.

“I am still studying, but I learned how to manage my time with the help of my coaches and senior teammates,” he stated. “I love this sport. I love to compete because this is my passion.”

Kingad is still a second-year Physical Education major as he had to minimize his units per semester to properly manage his professional career and his studies.

At the tender age of 22, Kingad has reaped dividends from his sacrifice as his name is starting to get recognized in the world of mixed martial arts.

A true warrior from the mountains of the Philippines and one of the top prospects to come out of Baguio City with an immaculate record of 5-0, Kingad is a tremendous striker who possesses well-rounded grappling skills.

Due to his outstanding run in local promotions, ONE Championship noticed Kingad and gave him a spot on the undercard of ONE: GLOBAL RIVALS in Manila in April 2016.

Kingad came out on top of his maiden ONE Championship assignment by scoring a first-round technical knockout of Malaysia’s Muhamad Haidar.

The young Baguio City native had an impressive follow-up to his ONE Championship debut by submitting compatriot Eugene Toquero with a first-round armbar in December 2016.

In his most recent trip to the ONE Championship cage, Kingad turned in a complete performance, putting his wide range of techniques on full display in a unanimous decision conquest of Malaysia’s Muhammad Aiman this past April.

With Kingad becoming a highly-touted standout in the Asian region due to his remarkable winning streak, Team Lakay head coach Mark Sangiao believes that he could be the next big thing in the sport, following the footsteps of his senior colleague Eduard Folayang, who is widely regarded as the face of the Philippine mixed martial arts scene and currently reigns as the ONE Lightweight World Champion.

“There’s no pressure on my part. To me, it’s a privilege to hear that from Coach Mark. I believe in what he said because I train with the best,” said Kingad as a response to Sangiao’s remark.

Although the sport offers fame and fortune, Kingad insisted that education remains as his foremost priority, knowing that he will need to engage in another source of income as being a professional athlete is not a lifetime livelihood.

“Education is very important because my career as a fighter will not last for a long time. By the time I reach 38 or 40 years old, I need to retire and have another day job to support my family,” he conveyed.

“Even though I love fighting, there will be a time in my life as a fighter that I will have to call it a day in competing. Meanwhile, education is something that I can use as I grow older,” Kingad added.

Extra-curricular activity: World title bout
As Kingad continues to juggle his attention between schoolwork and mixed martial arts, he is in what is perhaps the biggest bout in his three-year prizefighting stint so far as the Team Lakay representative vies for the ONE Flyweight World Championship.

Kingad is set to challenge division kingpin Adriano “Mikinho” Moraes in the co-headliner of ONE: LEGENDS OF THE WORLD, which takes place at the 20,000-seater SM Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines on 10 November.

Much like a final examination before the end of every college semester, Kingad seeks to ace his tough test against Moraes, who is a more experienced cage competitor than him.

The 28-year-old Brazilian champion has a stellar win-loss standing of 16-2, owning eights triumphs by way of submission and three by knockout.

Rarely opposed inside the ONE Championship cage, Moraes thoroughly defeated archrival Kairat Akhmetov via unanimous decision in a rematch last August, snapping the Kazakhstani’s perfect 23-bout winning streak and unifying the coveted ONE Flyweight World Championship title.

“Adriano Moraes is the biggest challenge in my young career. I know he is a tough and experienced fighter in the cage. But I believe in what I am capable of. I think I can compete with him on the ground and especially in striking,” Kingad said of his Brazilian foe.

Kingad shrugged off skeptics’ opinion that he is ill-equipped for a world title shot, citing that athletes like him go through rigorous preparations with the objective of having their hands raised at the end.

“There are many who keep on saying that it’s too early for me to have this championship opportunity. We are trained for this. All fighters dream to fight for the title. It might be a little bit early for me, but I consider it as a blessing,” he explained.

If he will walk out of the SM Mall of Asia Arena with the gold-plated strap around his waist, Kingad plans to use it as a platform to remove the derogatory labels attached to prizefighters in general.

“I am giving everything I have in training for this fight. Bringing home the belt will be a testament that pursuing your passion is not a hindrance in securing your future through education. It is also one way of breaking the stigma that fighters have in our society,” he stressed.

Mixed martial arts appears to be a sport for the barbaric and uncivilized, but essentially it is not as it is a competitive field that relies on both brain and brawn.

Kingad desires to see himself among the growing number of world-class athletes that became titleholders in mixed martial arts with college degrees, proving that the word “unintellectual” has no relevance to the sport.

But for now, Kingad will sit on his armchair listening to his professor while waiting for the school bell to ring so he can trek to the gym and train.

​For more updates on ONE Championship, please visit www.onefc.com, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @ONEChampionship, and like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ONEChampionship.