Adriano Moraes excited to close the book on Demetrious Johnson rivalry

On May 5, Adriano Moraes will have the opportunity to capture ONE Championship gold for an unprecedented fourth reign in the division when he meets reigning ONE flyweight world champion Demetrious Johnson in a highly anticipated trilogy bout.

ONE Fight Night 10 on Prime Video will also serve as the promotion’s North American debut as ONE heads to the 1stBank Center in Colorado for a lineup that is expected to be one of the best in the history of the Asia-based organization.

Ahead of their third, and presumably final clash, Moraes shared his admiration for ‘Mighty Mouse’ and his excitement to complete a trilogy with the pound-for-pound great. Moraes told the South China Morning Post:

“He’s a great man and he’s an example for everybody in and out [of the Circle]. I see this trilogy as a dream come true. It’s one and one. I gave him the opportunity to get his strap. Now, he gave me this opportunity to fight him again, to try to recover my belt again.”

Going into the bout, both fighters hold spectacular knockout finishes over the other. Adriano Moraes scored the first win in the already iconic rivalry, delivering a brutal knee to a downed Demetrious Johnson at ONE on TNT 1 in April 2021.

‘Mighty Mouse’ evened the score 16 months later with his own highlight-reel flying knee knockout at ONE on Prime Video 1 to capture his first piece of ONE Championship gold.

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Adriano Moraes will lean on BJJ in trilogy bout with Demetrious Johnson

Going into his third meeting with Demetrious Johnson, Adriano Moraes will hold a series of advantages. Most noticeable is his length and strength advantage, but perhaps most important is the advantage he holds on the ground.

‘Mikinho’ put those skills to work in the first two bouts and plans to lean on them in the third in an effort to reclaim the ONE flyweight world championship. Moraes told SCMP MMA:

“In both fights, I put my jiu-jitsu to work, and I did well. You can check it out in my second fight, I was doing good in my jiu-jitsu. I finished the first round on the mount. The second round, I was passing the guard already and ready to go to the submission.”

Since their last meeting, Johnson has openly discussed putting in extra work on improving his ground game in anticipation of a third showdown with Moraes. Will Johnson be able to stave off Moraes’ ground attack to retain the ONE flyweight world title or will Adriano Moraes once again reign supreme in the division?

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