“She comes first and it will always be that way” - Adriano Moraes shares how his daughter taught him about himself

Adriano Moraes has been through a lot in the cage. He's captured gold, defended it, eventually lost it, and over the course of a decade, carved his place out in the history of ONE Championship.

But despite all of that, nothing has shaped him quite like fatherhood did.

As he prepares to clash with Japan's Yuya Wakamatsu for the ONE flyweight MMA world title, Adriano says that his greatest growth has come not from high-intensity fights but in quiet moments with his daughter.

He told ONE Championship:

"What I learned most from her is that we never know how strong we are until we need to use our strength. Before, I thought I needed to sleep a lot, rest to train, etc., but with her, I learned that it is not quite like that. She's been teaching me that everything is "no ego, just dedication". I'm just dedicating myself to her, I'm on her schedule now (LOL). I go to the gym after she sleeps or after I go for a walk with her. She comes first and it will always be that way."

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“There’s a lot on the line” - Adriano Moraes says regaining his world title at ONE 172 will be a legacy-defining moment

Make no mistake. Fatherhood may ground him, but the fire still burns for Adriano Moraes - and on ONE 172, fighting inside a venue like the Saitama Super Arena will be the extra boost he needs in his fight to reclaim gold:

"Yeah, it’s an amazing card. For me, it’s like an honor to be on this card, especially fighting for this belt, there’s a lot on the line. It’s going to be exciting. And for sure, fighting inside a venue like the Saitama Super Arena."

ONE 172: Takeru vs Rodtang takes place on March 23. Fans can watch live via PPV on watch.onefc.com.