"It's a dream come true" - Adriano Moraes says Demetrious Johnson trilogy was beyond his wildest dreams

At ONE 169 this past weekend, former ONE flyweight MMA world champion Adriano Moraes made his return to action.

As the Brazilian has become very used to during his time in the promotion, he was able to secure the win to make a statement on Nov. 8.

Moraes' submission win over Danny Kingad marked the beginning of a new chapter in his career, and though the win was a big moment for him, it's hard to top where he has been in the past.

In recent years, his career has been mostly focused on one specific opponent as one of the biggest and best trilogy of fights played out at flyweight.

Moraes shared the Circle with flyweight great Demetrious Johnson in three incredible encounters that finally came to an end at ONE Fight Night 10 last year.

With Johnson announcing his retirement at ONE 168: Denver and Adriano Moraes returning to action, that phase of both men's careers is finally behind them.

In a post-fight interview with the Bangkok Post, the Brazilian reflected on these experiences and how grateful he is for them:

"Yes, and it's a pleasure to have a rivalry like that with one of the greatest of all time. For me, it's a dream come true, brother. Where I came from, it's all a dream."

Watch the full post-fight interview below:

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Adriano Moraes is ready to keep moving forward

For Adriano Moraes, returning with a win at ONE 169 was massively important for him.

It not only proves that he is still at the top of the flyweight division, it gives him the momentum he needs to move on from the trilogy with 'Mighty Mouse' into the next stage of his great career.

That next phase is sure to include a vacant world title fight soon after Johnson vacated the belt when he retired.

With his win over Kingad, there can be no denying that 'Mikinho' is one of the very top contenders in the division, if not the absolute peak.