Former undisputed flyweight world champion Adriano Moraes feels he’s got a lot to be thankful for after his knockout loss to Demetrious Johnson at ONE on Prime Video 1.
The 33-year-old warrior took to Instagram to express his gratitude to his team, family and friends for their unrelenting support despite his defeat. He captioned the photos with the following words:
“Thank you so much to everyone involved in this journey, gratitude for having you in my life. One day we win, the next we learn, for sure the return will be epic. Thank you to my team, coaches, family and fans. I love you ❤️”
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After battling three hard rounds with ‘Mighty Mouse', Johnson finally found an opening and landed a right hook in the dying minutes of the fourth round. The blow served as a catalyst for the KO knee he delivered a few seconds later.
As if the universe had planned it, Johnson avenged a knee KO with another knee on that historic evening. Suffice to say, Johnson was the better man that night. The Washington native broke Moraes’ three-fight win streak, returned home with a shiny new belt, and bagged a US$50,000 performance bonus to boot.
ONE Championship family showered Adriano Moraes with words of support following loss
Adriano Moraes put in a heroic performance despite the loss. It looked like he was getting the better of his American foe as he found success with some takedowns in the early rounds. However, as the fight continued, Moraes started to slow down as a result of the cut under his eye and some body shots Johnson landed in the fourth round.
Fans from all over the globe watched with sympathy as Adriano Moraes succumbed to that last blow to the head that ended the contest. Members of the ONE Championship roster were so moved by his performance that some took to Instagram to show their love and support for their fellow athlete.
Brazilian superstar Marcus ‘Buchecha’ Almeida commented:
“You're the man, my mico, very proud to be a brother, as you said, the turn around will be epic! Love you my Mico ❤️🏆👊🏼.”
‘The Gunslinger’ John Wayne Parr responded to Moraes’ post with:
“Excited for your future fights 💪🏻”