“I’m gonna try to win one more belt” - Adriano Moraes reveals a new inspiration for his upcoming world title quest at ONE 172

Adriano Moraes has established himself as a legend in ONE Championship but even as he approaches year 12 of competing in the organization, he still found a way to stay inspired and motivated to fight.

At ONE 172: Takeru vs Rodtang on Sunday, March 23, 'Mikinho' will have a shot at the vacant ONE flyweight MMA world championship against second-ranked contender Yuya "Little Piranha" Wakamatsu inside the iconic Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

Fans from all over the world can catch their fight and the rest of the stacked event live on pay-per-view via watch.onefc.com.

Adriano Moraes made his promotional debut way back in November 2013 and has since racked up 17 total bouts in the world's largest martial arts organization which includes multiple runs as the divisional kingpin.

Heading into his latest challenge, the 36-year-old Brazilian said he still feels strong enough to take the gold once again, thanks to the newest member of his family.

Speaking with The Fight Bananas Show, he said:

"I’ve just become a father, my baby is eight months now. So I just want to show her how hardworking her daddy is. And that’s it. I go to fight with no pressure. And I’m gonna try to win one more belt."

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Adriano Moraes says losses are always part of the journey

After more than a decade competing in ONE Championship, Adriano Moraes has fought the who's who of the organization's flyweight division.

As dominant as he has been, he didn't always come out on the winning end of all his matches. He has lost the coveted belt to the likes of Kairat Akhmetov, Geje Eustaquio, and Demetrious Johnson.

However, despite suffering devastating losses, he has managed to dust himself off and get back in the win column pretty quickly.

In the same interview, Moraes shared his mindset after suffering a loss.

"You know, I can lose the belt, I can get that back. I can lose the fight. But then I’m never gonna be down. I’m always gonna stand up. I’m always gonna try again."

After twin losses to "Mighty Mouse," Moraes got his groove back at ONE 169 in November last year, defeating current number three-ranked contender Danny Kingad to secure his spot in fighting for the belt vacated by Johnson.