“I have much love for him” - Adriano Moraes is all praise for Demetrious Johnson ahead of rematch

Adriano Moraes has grown to respect Demetrious Johnson as a person and an MMA fighter over the last couple of years.

Moraes used to watch his idol ‘Mighty Mouse’ take on the MMA world with his unique talent and creative fighting style. Since the announcement of their upcoming flyweight world title bout on Amazon Prime and participating in all its promotion, the two rivals have formed a close bond.

Adriano Moraes had nothing but praise for his rival while speaking to 'The MMA Super-Fan' ahead of Friday's rematch:

“I was the number one fan of DJ. I followed his career since he began, so I followed his steps in the cage and outside too. He’s an example to us as a fighter and a human being so for me to share the ONE circle man is a blessing."

He continued:

"I have much love for him, he’s my business partner, one of the best guys to have as a business partner on the world. We just want to make business together. But I think the admiration is still there.”

Catch the interview below:

It’s difficult not to get along with Adriano Moraes or Demetrious Johnson. Both come from similar backgrounds, are appreciative with the work that they have, family-oriented, and are down-to-earth.

It’s very odd to see two rivals not show animosity towards each other, especially on this historic fight card. But these two are both as respectful as they come.

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Adriano Moraes amped up jiu-jitsu training in fight camp with ONE Championship’s grappling phenoms

Adriano Moraes amped up some of his jiu-jitsu training recently to include rolling with ONE championship grappling phenoms Kade and Tye Ruotolo in July.

It’s common knowledge that his rival Demetrious Johnson has also stepped up his grappling skills in his own hometown gym of AMC Pankration in Washington. Although Moraes is a jiu-jitsu black belt, training in the art had become a secondary priority.

The Brazilian native is known to have focused more of his time on learning the vital skills of boxing than jiu-jitsu. Looking to balance out his all-encompassing skillset, Moraes exchanged strategies and ideas with the Ruotolo brothers to learn the nuances of the sport.

The 33 year-old sensation spoke with ONE Championship about his experience and said:

“Jiu-jitsu evolves every week and being able to train with these young promising [talents] – young champions with a completely modern and evolved jiu-jitsu – is a really cool experience. And they are superstars. They are very talented and have very technical jiu-jitsu.”