"The pressure was crazy" - Adriano Moraes recalls being extremely anxious in first fight with Demetrious Johnson

Adriano Moraes has achieved a lot of highlights across his long and storied career in ONE Championship.

Though the former champion is still competing at the very highest level, one particular win is always going to stand out from the rest.

In January 2019, Moraes ended his trilogy of fights with Geje Eustaquio by winning a unanimous decision to reclaim his flyweight world championship.

Following the flyweight World Grand Prix, this set him up for a huge clash against a dream opponent who he never expected to cross paths with.

Former UFC star Demetrious Johnson making the jump to compete in ONE Championship was a massive moment for the division. Moraes was able to seize his opportunity by becoming the first man to knock out the legendary 'Mighty Mouse' in a career-defining win.

In a recent interview with Party Starter Radio, he spoke about the difficult preparations for that huge clash:

"Like you said, I never imagined fighting against him, but nowadays, I had a trilogy against him. The first fight was a really crazy moment of my life. In a time of COVID-19, we traveled across the world to Asia. It was in Singapore, it was in an empty arena, so the pressure was crazy."

Watch the full interview below:

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Adriano Moraes is ready to move on with a new chapter

It has been well over a year now since we last saw Adriano Moraes in action.

At ONE Fight Night 10, he and Johnson settled an iconic trilogy with 'Mighty Mouse' beating the Brazilian for a second time before retiring at ONE 168.

With the flyweight MMA title now vacant, Moraes is on the warpath to begin another championship reign, and that quest begins at ONE 169 where he faces Danny Kingad.

Given his reputation in the division, beating Kingad at Lumpinee Stadium on Nov. 8 will put him right back in the mix to fight for the flyweight gold once again.