"He's gonna come in this fight hungry" - Adriano Moraes expects the best of 'DJ' in their rematch

ONE flyweight world champion Adriano Moraes is aware that he’ll be facing a determined Demetrious Johnson in their highly anticipated rematch.

Moraes and Johnson will fight for the second time in the main event of their namesake card ONE 161: Moraes vs. Johnson II on August 26 in US prime-time at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

Moraes, in an interview with the South China Morning Post’s Tom Taylor, said he’s expecting the best version of 'DJ' in their rematch and that he needs to be prepared for what the American legend will bring.

‘Mikinho’ added how Johnson, considered the greatest mixed martial artist of all time, displayed such composure and aggressiveness in his mixed rules bout against ONE flyweight Muay Thai world champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon at ONE X.

Adriano Moraes said:

“I think he’s gonna come complete as always, like last the fight he fought against the best striker in the world right now [Rodtang] and I think he did a very good fight camp in striking. So, you know, I think he’s gonna come in this fight hungry as always. He’s a really smart fighter. He’s gonna come in hard so I need to be prepared.”

Johnson and Moraes had their first match showdown in April 2021 with the outcome greatly elevating the Brazilian superstar.

ONE on TNT I bore witness to the knee strike that elevated Adriano Moraes to legendary status when he became the first man to finish Johnson and retain the ONE flyweight world title.

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Adriano Moraes is aiming to improve his Brazilian jiu-jitsu game

Adriano Moraes is one of the most feared submission specialists in ONE Championship due to his tendency to grind out his opponents before locking in the most devastating holds in the circle.

Of his eight finishes in the promotion, seven are submission wins, yet Moraes isn’t done evolving in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

“I evolved a lot in my game. There is a lot of stuff I changed a little bit but I’m still doing what I love to do. The most important thing now is to train my Jiu-Jitsu because jiu-jitsu is in infinity so I need to train hard in jiu-jitsu, that’s I think what I need to evolve.”

Moraes added that his coaches from Brazil also made the trip to Florida's American Top Team to assist him develop his arsenal ahead of his outing against 'DJ':

“My striking is gonna be there, I’m training hard too. I’m happy my coaches from Brazil came over to American Top Team and they helped us a lot over there. I’ll go to this fight with my hands, my kicks, and my jiu-jitsu of course.”