Demetrious Johnson in unfamiliar territory with Adriano Moraes trilogy

Demetrious Johnson is excited to compete in his first career trilogy bout.

On May 5, ‘Mighty Mouse’ will return to the Circle to headline ONE Championship’s highly anticipated U.S. debut. Johnson will defend his title for the first time against the same man that he took it from, Adriano Moraes.

Demetrious Johnson is certainly no stranger to rematches, but his appearance at the 1stBank Center in Colorado next month will represent the first time competing in a trilogy bout during his 17-year career. In an interview with Fox 13 Seattle, Johnson expressed excitement over not only headlining the promotion’s North American debut but doing so in one of the biggest rubber matches in MMA history.

“I'm super excited, you know,” Johnson said. “It’s ONE Championship’s first debut in the United States. To fight Adriano Moraes again [for the third time] is something I’ve never done before. Usually, when I have these fights, when it goes back to John Dodson and Joseph Benavides, I won 2-0 and 2-0.”

For better or for worse, Johnson has already encountered a handful of firsts under the ONE Championship banner. ‘Mighty Mouse’ captured his first World Grand Prix championship in 2019 with a win over Danny Kingad. He also experienced his first knockout loss at the hands of his ONE Fight Night 10 opponent, Adriano Moraes.

Demetrious Johnson bounced back 16 months later, scoring his own highlight-reel knockout against Moraes to capture his first ONE world championship. His next task will be to defend the title against his Brazilian nemesis on one of the biggest nights in the promotion’s 12-year history.

Amazon Prime Video subscribers in North America can catch ONE Fight Night 10 live and for free in U.S. primetime on May 5.