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Brazilian veteran Adriano Moraes is ready to fire on all cylinders and lay his hands on what was once his when he returns at ONE 172 on March 23. That evening, inside the iconic Saitama Super Arena, the top-ranked contender and former kingpin squares off alongside second-ranked Yuya Wakamatsu for the vacant ONE flyweight MMA world title.
Speaking during a virtual appearance at the official press conference to announce the card yesterday, 'Mikinho' revealed that he's doubled up his efforts during training to treat the audience to another classic performance:
"I'm training really hard to put on a show for everybody this time, especially for my Japanese fans. So stay tuned, be there, because I'll be ready."
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Beyond the chance to vie for the 26 pounds of gold, the ground game wizard also bared his excitement to fight in 'The Land of the Rising Sun' for the first time.
Adriano Moraes continued:
"I'm very happy to be fighting in Japan. I'm so excited to be fighting for the ONE flyweight MMA world title against Yuya Wakamatsu."
ONE 172 will be headlined by a five-round flyweight kickboxing contest between Takeru Segawa and Rodtang Jitmuangnon.
Fans can register their interest to purchase tickets for this blockbuster card here.
Adriano Moraes' ground game could prove to be the difference again
As much as Yuya Wakamatsu has looked every bit improved in his three-match winning run, he hasn't been tested to the fullest on the canvas.
Xie Wei, Danny Kingad, and Gilbert Nakatani do have decent moves on the mats. When you throw Adriano Moraes' name into that sentence, it's a different level altogether.
The canvas is his domain, and the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt does his best work there as soon as ground game action is thrown into the mix.
As such, don't be surprised if he relies on his wizardry there and adds to his gallery of submission wins when he takes to the Circle against the hometown hero at ONE 172 on March 23.
