Adriano Moraes looking to stay active in his 10th year with ONE Championship

2023 marks the 10-year anniversary of Adriano Moraes competing under the ONE Championship banner.

The former flyweight champion has been a staple of the promotion’s lower weight classes for some time. Despite that, he is arguably just starting to get the respect that he deserves.

At 34 years old, Moraes still plans on adding to his already impressive accomplishments by making this year another one to remember.

In an interview with SCMP MMA, Adriano Moraes reflected on his career with ONE Championship so far and expressed his plans going forward:

“I want to be busy. I want to fight more, of course. It’s going to be my 10th [year] anniversary in ONE Championship. I think it’s a long journey inside the company. It’s amazing. I think I’m the only fighter who travelled to all the capitals in Asia to fight. I just want to enjoy this year and celebrate and do what I love to do, which is to fight.”

Watch the full interview below:

In his first fight of 2023, Moraes will have a chance to pick up the biggest win of his career to date. At ONE Fight Night 10 on Prime Video on May 5, Moraes will face all-time great Demetrious Johnson for a third time. With it, he has the chance to become the first man to defeat ‘Mighty Mouse’ twice.

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Adriano Moraes looking to take back the world title Demetrious Johnson "borrowed" from him

At ONE Fight Night 10 on Prime Video, Adriano Moraes isn’t just chasing down revenge against Demetrious Johnson, he wants his flyweight world championship back.

The Brazilian pulled off an upset victory over Johnson to defend his title the first time they met, becoming the first man to finish ‘Mighty Mouse’ in April 2021. His flyweight world championship slipped away from him last time out when DJ got payback on Moraes with a spectacular flying-knee knockout.

On May 5, the two elite mixed martial artists will settle their trilogy in one of the most anticipated fights in ONE Championship’s history. Both previous contests have produced entertaining back and forth fights, but this time around, it’s all to play for.

Ahead of the biggest fight of his career to date, Adriano Moraes spoke to the South China Morning Post about his motivations going into the trilogy fight:

"Yes, I’d like to say. My first belt I [lent] to Geje Eustaquio, for us to make a nice event in Manila. The second time, I [lent] my title to Kairat Akhmetov for us to make an amazing event in Macau. Now, I [lent] my title to the GOAT Demetrious Johnson, for us to make a nice event in the U.S. I’ll be back stronger to take my belt back."