Adriano Moraes admits he ‘held back’ for too long in rubber match versus Demetrious Johnson

At ONE Fight Night 10, Adriano Moraes competed in the biggest fight of his career but unfortunately came up short.

The former ONE flyweight world champion has had some great rivals in the past. However, none pushed him as far as Demetrious Johnson.

Considered by many to be the greatest of all time, Johnson and Moraes were immediately set on a collision course with each other after ‘Mighty Mouse' signed with ONE Championship.

After suffering the first knockout loss of his career to Moraes in their first meeting, Demetrious Johnson got his own highlight-reel KO revenge in the rematch last year.

As both men secured the best highlights of their careers against one another, it all came down to ONE Fight Night 10 on May 5.

With the ONE flyweight world championship on the line by the defending champion Johnson, the historic contest headlined one of the biggest events in the history of ONE Championship.

Hosting its first on-ground event in the United States, the promotion needed a main event befitting the occasion, and Johnson and Moraes were happy to oblige.

In the fight, the defending champion seemed one step ahead of the former title holder at every turn, largely shutting down most of the offense that ‘Mikinho’ brought to the table.

With time to reflect on the fight before starting the next stage of his career, Adriano Moraes admitted to ONE Championship that he was too hesitant on May 5 in Broomfield, Colorado.

“I believe I held back too much," said Moraes. "I was waiting for the right moment to perform some actions in the fight and ended up waiting too long.”

Check out the full fight recap from Moraes here.