"Showcase my life and my gladiator spirit" - Adriano Moraes recalls sweet feeling of winning inaugural flyweight MMA belt

Adriano Moraes has been a staple of ONE Championship's flyweight MMA division for over a decade at this stage. The Brazilian made his ONE debut all the way back in November of 2013, and it didn't take him long before he was competing at the top of the weight class.

Moraes is a very impressive contender, but what makes him special is his incredible longevity when fighting at the highest level.

With multiple ONE flyweight MMA world championship title reigns under his belt, 'Mikinho' was the first ever champion of the division. He defeated Geje Eustaquio via a second-round guillotine submission in September 2014 to win the inaugural title in Cambodia.

During a recent interview on Party Starter Radio, he reflected on how much this moment meant to him at the time after becoming champion for the first time:

"When Victor Cui put the belt on me, I hugged him and said, 'Hey man, thank you very much for changing my life. Thank you for believing in my work ethic and putting me on the greatest platform to showcase my life, and my gladiator spirit.' It was nice."

Watch the full interview below:

---

Adriano Moraes wants to feel that once again

The last time that we saw Adriano Moraes compete under the ONE Championship banner, it was to try and reclaim his flyweight MMA crown from Demetrious Johnson.

After their trilogy was settled at ONE Fight Night 10, Johnson subsequently retired at ONE 168 last month, leaving the title vacant in his absence.

Now, Moraes is out to reclaim the gold once again by getting back in the win column on his return at ONE 169.

The former champ will face Danny Kingad at Lumpinee Stadium on Nov. 8 where a win will put him right back where he wants to be.