“I’m ready” -ONE flyweight world champion Adriano Moraes teases ONE Championship return

Adriano Moraes cannot wait to make his grand return to the Circle.

The ONE Championship flyweight king tweeted his intent to return to action on his official account. The message was short and sweet, but also gave fans everything they needed to know: He's ready for his next challenger.

"I'm ready @OneChampionship"

Adriano Moraes is looking to build on his most recent victory, a signature win over mixed martial arts legend Demetrious ‘Mighty Mouse’ Johnson.

The Brazilian put Johnson to sleep in early April with a powerful knee strike. In doing so, he became the first man in history to stop the American. The victory instantly shot Adriano Moraes to superstardom. He emerged as arguably the best flyweight mixed martial artist in the world.

Moraes has reigned as ONE Championship’s flyweight king for years. ‘Mikinho’ first captured the belt in 2014, beating former rival Geje Eustaquio. He lost the belt to Kairat Akhmetov a year later, but regained it in 2017 in a title unification bout with the Kazakhstani.

He succumbed to Eustaquio in a rematch in 2018, but won the trilogy in 2019 to begin his third reign over the division.

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Adriano Moraes, who trains at the American Top Team gym in Florida, boasts a 19-3 professional record, alongside a 69 percent finishing rate. Primarily known for his grappling skills, Adriano Moraes’ victory over Johnson was his first KO win in over eight years.

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Who's next in line to face Adriano Moraes?

While Adriano Moraes would love to take on Demetrious Johnson again, he will have to wait until ‘Mighty Mouse’ is done dealing with Rodtang Jitmuangnon. Johnson and Rodtang are set to face off in a mixed-rules Muay Thai and MMA spectacle early next year.

Aside from a Johnson rematch, a fight that could catch everyone’s attention is a match between Adriano Moraes and No.3-ranked flyweight contender Yuya ‘Little Piranha’ Wakamatsu.

Wakamatsu has recently come into his own, winning his last four since losing to ‘Mighty Mouse’ two years ago.

There’s also No.2-ranked flyweight Danny ‘The King’ Kingad, who Adriano Moraes faced in 2017. Although Moraes dominated and ultimately submitted Kingad, the Filipino upstart has grown considerably in the years that have passed and is as dangerous now as he'll ever be.

Also, a rematch with No.4-ranked flyweight Akhmetov to settle the score once and for all is another option for Adriano Moraes. The two fighters are tied at one win apiece in their series. A third fight with the ONE flyweight world title on the line should be nothing short of spectacular.