Adriano Moraes 'blessed and grateful' for chance to run it back with Danny Kingad at ONE 169

Brazilian veteran Adriano Moraes couldn't have wished for a better opportunity to mark his return.

The former ONE flyweight MMA kingpin runs it back with old rival and No.3-ranked contender Danny Kingad looking to tick two goals off his bucket list.

For one, 'Mikinho' wants to bounce back into the winner's column. Secondly, he's beyond thrilled to debut inside the legendary Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

Speaking exclusively to Sports Illustrated, Adriano Moraes shared what this opportunity to compete on a stacked bill like ONE 169 means to him:

"I'm just here to be grateful and blessed to have one more time with this kind of opportunity. To showcase [my skills] on one of the best platforms of MMA."

He continued:

"And that's it, man. I'm just blessed and grateful to have this opportunity on this card."

Moraes may have the experience and expertise to take a 2-0 lead against Kingad this Friday. But Kingad's evolution, particularly his improved ground game, could spring a surprise.

As such, it'll be interesting to see how this flyweight MMA joust between the pair unfolds when they collide at ONE 169 on Nov. 8.

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Adriano Moraes hopes Danny Kingad brings his A-game into ONE 169 redo

Adriano Moraes hopes Danny Kingad will bring his best package in their rematch that has been seven years in the making.

The 36-year-old martial artist, in the same interview, continued:

"Seven years ago, me and [Danny Kingad], we were [different fighters. Today, we are [different] fighters. I think everybody evolved a lot. It's gonna be a huge, different time for me. I want to see the best Danny ever."

North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription can catch the entire ONE 169 card live in U.S. primetime for free this Friday, Nov. 8.