Adriano Moraes’ gut instinct suggests fourth scrap vs Demetrious Johnson still possible: “If I capture the belt, he can come back”

Adriano Moraes believes there's a possibility that he will fight Demetrious Johnson for a fourth time.

In April 2021, Moraes secured the biggest win of his fighting career when he knocked out MMA legend Demetrious Johnson. Since then, the world-class flyweights have fought twice more, with Johnson emerging victorious both times to conquer the historic trilogy series.

Earlier this year, Johnson officially announced his retirement from mixed martial arts. At 38 years old, 'Mighty Mouse' has solidified himself as one of the greatest fighters of all time, leading him to pursue other ventures.

Moraes recently did an interview with Sports Illustrated and talked about Johnson's retirement. The former eighth-time ONE flyweight MMA world champion had this to say about potentially fighting Johnson for a fourth time:

"Something tells me like, I think he can come back. If I capture the belt, I think he can come back and do it all over again.”

Once Demetrious Johnson retired, the ONE flyweight MMA world title was vacated, providing an opportunity to the top contenders. Adriano Moraes is a primary candidate to compete for the vacant throne, but first, he must secure a win in his upcoming fight next week.

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Adriano Moraes has business to take care of before potential title fight

On November 8, ONE Championship will return to the legendary Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand for ONE 169. The upcoming event features three world title fights and several other intriguing matchups.

Number one-ranked flyweight Adriano Moraes will compete at ONE 169 against number three-ranked Danny Kingad. 'The King' enters his sixteenth promotional appearance coming off a loss against number two-ranked Yuya Wakamatsu.

Moraes fought Kingad in November 2017, defeating him by first-round submission.

Wakamatsu will be keeping a close eye on Moraes vs. Kingad. The Japanese-born contender holds a 1-1 record against Kingad and a loss against Moraes, making either rematch an intriguing option moving forward.

Although it's unconfirmed by ONE, the winner between Moraes and Kingad is expected to fight for the vacant flyweight MMA strap. Therefore, Moraes needs to emerge victorious at ONE 169 and conquer the world title before potentially convincing Demetrious Johnson to unretire.

ONE 169 can be seen live and for free by North American and Canadian viewers with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.