“It was the biggest defeat of my career” - Adriano Moraes recalls Demetrious Johnson’s payback with devastating knee KO in second match

Adriano Moraes reflected on the "biggest defeat of his career" against MMA legend Demetrious Johnson.

In April 2021, arguably the greatest rivalry in ONE Championship history started at ONE on TNT 1. Former 8x ONE flyweight MMA world champion Moraes was tasked with a challenging matchup against the legendary Demetrious Johnson.

Moraes overcame the odds and secured a second-round TKO win to retain his world title. Since then, the Brazilian superstar has earned worldwide respect for his phenomenal resume, especially the knockout at ONE on TNT 1.

Over a year later, Moraes and Johnson met again during the ONE on Prime Video 1 main event. This time around, 'Mighty Mouse' refused to be denied as he avenged his defeat against Moraes with a fourth-round knockout.

During an interview with Party Starter Radio, Moraes was asked several questions about his trilogy series against Johnson. The 36-year-old had this to say about his loss in the August 22 rematch:

"One year later, I gave him the rematch, so he knocked me out this time. It was a crazy moment too. I was winning the fight but I got caught in the fourth round. It was crazy, it was the biggest defeat of my career. But it was against one of the greatest of all time so I needed to stand up, come back to the gym train hard again. I asked my boss for my rematch."

Demetrious Johnson did what legends do and avenged his defeat against Adriano Moraes for a second time in May 2023. The American megastar won the trilogy (unanimous decision) to end his series against 'Mikinho.'

Watch Adriano Moraes' entire interview with Party Starter Radio below:

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Adriano Moraes: Path back to ONE gold

At ONE 168, Demetrious Johnson made an emotional announcement revealing his retirement from mixed martial arts. As a result, the living legend vacated his ONE flyweight MMA world title, creating a massive opportunity for several contenders.

On November 8, number one-ranked Adriano Moraes will fight someone not named Demetrious Johnson for the first time since March 2022. The Brazilian's upcoming opponent for ONE 169 is Danny Kingad, who is coming off a loss against Yuya Wakamatsu.

With a win against Kingad, Moraes is expected to fight for the vacant ONE flyweight MMA world title in early 2025. Although it's unconfirmed by ONE, 'Mikinho' or Kingad will likely take on number two-ranked Wakamatsu.

ONE 169 goes down inside the legendary combat sports venue of Lumpinee Boxing Stadium. The November 8 event in Bangkok, Thailand can be seen live and for free by North American and Canadian viewers with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.