"Adriano will be back" - Fighters, fans confident Adriano Moraes will redeem himself after ONE 172 loss to Yuya Wakamatsu

Adriano Moraes (left), Yuya Wakamatsu (right) [Photo via ONE Championship]
Adriano Moraes (left), Yuya Wakamatsu (right) [Photo via ONE Championship]

By this point in time, Adriano Moraes must have known that he is not alone in facing this ordeal.

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Fellow athletes and fans had chimed in for support of Moraes after he suffered a heartbreaking defeat at the hands of Yuya Wakamatsu in their rematch for the vacant ONE flyweight MMA world champion at ONE 172 last Sunday, March 23.

Despite entering the matchup as the odds-on favorite to register his third reign as the divisional kingpin, the Brazilian superstar never anticipated what Wakamatsu had prepared for him.

Right from the get-go, the Japanese hard-hitter gave the home crowd inside the Saitama Super Arena a valid reason to cheer at the top of their lungs, loading up on big shots.

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Moraes did his best to withstand the onslaught, but there was only so much he could endure. A solid left hook followed by a staggering right uppercut from Wakamatsu sent him sprawling on the mat.

Sensing the finish, Wakamatsu swarmed on his dazed rival with non-stop ground-and-pound, forcing the stoppage at the 3:39 mark of the opening frame.

Overcome with emotions after a tough defeat, Moraes found solace in the support of former ONE flyweight Muay Thai world champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon and reigning ONE interim strawweight kickboxing world champion Jonathan Di Bella, who stepped in to lift his spirits.

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Watch the clip below:

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As ONE Championship captured this heartfelt moment of sportsmanship on Instagram, Moraes' peers and supporrters rallied behind him, offering words of encouragement to remind him that setbacks are only temporary.

Pedro Munhoz, a Brazilian who currently competes in the UFC, wrote:

"Adriano will be back."

UFC batamweight fighter Rani Yahya also gave Moraes an online rub on the back:

"Congratulations, champ. Head up, it will come back better."
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Comments from Instagram
Comments from Instagram

Adriano Moraes promises to get back "stronger"

It's didn't take long for Adriano Moraes to address the public following his disappointing defeat over the weekend.

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The former ONE flyweight MMA world champion seems handling the setback at ONE 172 well, expressing his gratitude to Rodtang Jitmuangnon and Jonathan Di Bella for cheering him up.

Moraes also vowed to come back stronger than ever.

"Mikinho" wrote:

"Thank you, my brothers. I will be back stronger."

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Edited by Harvey Leonard
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