“The hardest thing about him” - Danny Kingad says speed is Demetrious Johnson’s best attribute

Fans and fighters are eagerly anticipating a flyweight world title rematch between defending champion Adriano Moraes and flyweight great Demetrious Johnson. The two fighters will run back their April 2021 bout in the ONE on Prime Video 1 main event on August 26th. Airing live in U.S. primetime, fans will be introduced to some of the promotion’s brightest stars on ONE’s global stage.

Much has been said about the impending rematch, with everyone seemingly levying their predictions over who will come out on top in their second scrap. A man familiar with both fighters recently gave his thoughts on the world title sequel.

Danny ‘The King’ Kingad has shared the Circle with Moraes in a world title bout and faced Johnson in the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix Championship final. Speaking to ONE Championship, he offered his valuable insights grounded on these experiences.

‘The King’ believes the biggest weapon Johnson brings into the rematch is his speed, which helps him to adapt on the fly.

“Like I said before, he’s really fast. That’s the hardest thing about him that Adriano will have to deal with. He doesn’t have much power and strengths, but that’s made up for with his technical ability. He knows how to move in certain ways that will give him the right amount of leverage. And he’s very adaptable and intelligent.”

Watch their fight below:

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Demetrious Johnson versus Adriano Moraes is a case of speed versus length

Adriano Moraes’ length and strength played a key role in his shocking victory over the former flyweight champion in their first meeting at ONE on TNT 1. Throughout the length of the fight, Moraes utilized his length and footwork to keep Johnson at bay, frustrating ‘Mighty Mouse’ into making a big mistake in the second round.

Losing patience, Demetrious Johnson rushed in for a potential takedown, only to find himself on the ground. Attempting to get up, Johnson left his head wide open and lined up perfectly with Moraes’ knee leading to the crushing blow that ended DJ’s night early.

To see things come out differently in the rematch, Demetrious Johnson will have to make good use of his speed, moving in and out of range. ‘Mighty Mouse’ is the kind of fighter who wants to stand in the pocket and throw, but doing so would be a huge mistake for the much shorter fighter. Johnson’s speed will be key. If he can match that speed with his renewed focus on grappling heading into the bout, he may be able to get the best of ‘Mikinho’ over the 25-minute contest on August 26th.