Former ONE Championship titleholder Adriano Moraes recorded his 15th career submission in his return to the win column at ONE 169.
Former ONE Championship titleholder [autotag]Adriano Moraes[/autotag] made a statement in his return to the win column.
At ONE 169, which took place at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, former ONE Championship flyweight champion Moraes (21-5) returned to action for his first fight of 2024 to face Danny Kingad. At 4:14 of Round 2, Moraes recorded his 15th career finish by submitting Kingad (15-5) with a guillotine choke.
Kingad didn’t make it easy early in the fight. He used a solid grappling approach to neutralize Moraes, making the opening round challenging.
However, in the second frame, the fight remained on the feet much longer, allowing Moraes to find his rhythm in the fight. Then out of nowhere, he jumped on an arm-in guillotine attempt, bringing Kingad down to the mat. The squeeze was tight, and Kingad had no choice but to tap.
Check out video of the finish below (via Instagram):
“The champ is back!” Moraes yelled to start his post-fight interview.
The result marked the return to the winner’s circle for Moraes, who competed for the first time after losing back-to-back fights against MMA’s consensus flyweight GOAT, Demetrious Johnson. Moraes won the first fight in their saga by brutal knockout to record his first title defense, but then came up short in the rematch and trilogy bout.
The title is currently vacant, as Johnson retired as champion. Moraes could find himself in a fight for the
Check out these photos from the ONE Fight Night 10 headliner, Demetrious Johnson and Adriano Moraes, which took place in Broomfield, Colo..
Check out the best photos from the ONE Fight Night 10 bout between [autotag]Demetrious Johnson[/autotag] and [autotag]Adriano Moraes[/autotag], which took place Friday at 1STBANK Center in Broomfield, Colo., right outside Denver. (Photos courtesy of ONE Championship.)
KANSAS CITY, MO – AUGUST 24: Defensive end Frank Clark #55 of the Kansas City Chiefs celebrates with defensive end Chris Jones #95, after sacking quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers during the first half of a preseason game at Arrowhead Stadium on August 24, 2019 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images)
On Friday at ONE Fight Night 10, Johnson (25-4-1) broke the tie when he defeated [autotag]Adriano Moraes[/autotag] (20-5) by unanimous decision in a trilogy rubber match. The bouts served as the main event for the card, which took place at 1STBANK Center in Broomfield, Colo., right outside Denver.
The first two meetings between Johnson and Moraes ended inside the distance, but Friday’s rubber match needed all 25 minutes for a victor to be named. The contest was largely technical with a lot of striking at distance and battling for position in the clinch, where Johnson found much of his success.
Johnson, 36, swept the judges’ scorecards and afterward answered the “elephant in the room” question during his in-cage interview.
Will Johnson retire? That question remains to be answered.
Johnson asked the crowd if they wanted to see him fight again. After a booming, positive response, Johnson said he’d have to talk with his wife first.
“Mighty Mouse” got some AIR on that knee ✈️ @MightyMouse
Tune in to Prime Video NOW to catch the rest of ONE Fight Night 10!
If this is the end for Johnson, he goes down a consensus all-time fighter. He was the inaugural UFC flyweight champion and defended his title 11 times during his title reign.
Moraes, 34, has now lost back-to-back fights with the defeat at ONE Fight Night 10. He finished Johnson in the first meeting between the two fighters when he drilled “Mighty Mouse” with a powerful knee.
#ONEFightNight10 results: Demetrious Johnson def. Adriano Moraes via unanimous decision
The long-awaited debut of ONE Championship in the United States takes place Friday in Colorado.
ONE Championship made its United States debut Friday in Broomfield, Colo., just outside Denver.
ONE Fight Night 10 was headlined by former UFC flyweight champion [autotag]Demetrious Johnson[/autotag] as he defended his 135-pound title in a trilogy match against [autotag]Adriano Moraes[/autotag].
Also on the card, former UFC star [autotag]Sage Northcutt[/autotag] returned to action after four years away from competition as he battled [autotag]Ahmed Mujtba[/autotag] at 1STBANK Center.
Adriano Moraes can scratch fighting in America from his bucket list when he meets Demetrious Johnson in their trilogy at ONE Fight Night 10.
On Friday night, [autotag]Adriano Moraes[/autotag] will have an item to cross from his fight-career bucket list.
Along with ONE Championship, Moraes will finally make his U.S. debut. ONE Championship, which has been operating for well over a decade, will host its first event on U.S. soil with ONE Fight Night 10 at 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colo., near Denver. Moraes headlines the event, as he challenges flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson in a trilogy bout.
This is an important moment for Moraes’ career for obvious reasons but also because it’s his first fight ever in his adopted country.
“I’m really happy, because it’s ONE Championship’s debut, but it’s going to be my debut too in the United Sates,” Moraes told MMA Junkie. “It’s one thing that I really wanted in my career, to fight in the United States.
“So right now I’m going to realize this dream. And I think it’s good to not have that kind of jet lag of 12 hours, so that point is really good, too.”
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Although ONE Championship is known by many MMA fans, its main footprint remains in its home base of Singapore and other Asian countries. Moraes believes the company’s debut on U.S. soil will go a long way in its efforts to get bigger in America. He also thinks ONE Championship’s mix of combat sports and different ruleset will appeal to many fans.
“I think it’s amazing,” Moraes said regarding ONE Championship’s first event in the U.S. “I think we’re going to gain a lot with the fans. The fans are going to know better, the home of martial arts. ONE Championship is going to come with different disciplines for the same show. I think everybody is going to like this a lot. That’s what I say. The fans are going to gain a lot with one more promotion in combat sports.”
Demetrious Johnson isn’t upset by the immediate trilogy booking since he respects Adrano Moraes and views him as a worthy adversary.
[autotag]Demetrious Johnson[/autotag] knew he was going to see [autotag]Adriano Moraes[/autotag] sooner or later after knocking him out in their rematch, but he didn’t expect an immediate booking of a third matchup.
Both Johnson (31-4-1) and Moraes (20-4) last fought against each other in August, when “Mighty Mouse” avenged a previous knockout loss to Moraes while also taking the ONE Championship flyweight title. Now fast forward a little over eight months, Johnson and Moraes will meet again in the main event of ONE Fight Night 10 this Friday in Broomfield, Colo., the promotion’s first event to be held in the U.S.
Johnson expected to be in this position, just not at this very moment.
“I got mine. I gave him his,” Johnson told MMA Junkie Radio when asked about his rivalry with Moraes. “I knew I was going to see him in the future but didn’t think it would be this quick. I figured they would probably give somebody else the opportunity to fight for the belt, but hey, here we are now.”
Either way, Johnson is not upset. He has a ton of respect for Moraes and thinks he’s a worthy adversary.
“Adriano is a great guy, a great opponent, an amazing former world champion,” Johnson said. “I knew I was going to see him again, especially (because) he’s been the longest reigning flyweight champion in ONE Championship. But he’s lost and won it, lost it and won it. It’s been very tricky. It’s kind of interesting.
“If you look back at my UFC career, it’s like, it goes Demetrious Johnson, then Henry Cejudo, then it jumps around. When you look at Adriano’s tenure, his reign, I think he lost it to Kairat (Akhmetov) or Kairat won it. Then they had an interim and Kairat had it. Then he got it, then Geje Eustaquio got it. Then they had their thing. Then it went back to him, and now it’s me who has it. So it’s not a very long, consistent (reign).”
Adriano Moraes sees his trilogy with Demetrious Johnson as the final push to become champion.
[autotag]Adriano Moraes[/autotag] is nearing the end of his lengthy standing as a major player in the ONE Championship flyweight title picture.
Moraes (20-4), who became the inaugural ONE flyweight champ in 2014, is gearing up for yet another title fight with the promotion. This one likely is the biggest of his career.
May 5, Moraes will attempt to recapture the title in a highly awaited trilogy bout against champion [autotag]Demetrious Johnson[/autotag] in the main event of ONE Fight Night 10 in Broomfield, Colo. Almost a decade after he first won the belt, Moraes sees this as the final push.
“I think this is going to be my last attempt at the belt. I don’t know, so I’m going to give it my all inside the cage,” Moraes told MMA Junkie. “The next fight is the most important. My next fight is against Demetrious Johnson again. I never cared about the opponent. I never choose. I always like to go smash, and this fight is not going to be any different. May 5, I take my belt back.”
Moraes and Johnson (31-4-1) first fought in 2021, when Moraes defended his belt with a nasty knee knockout of the former UFC champion. Johnson avenged the loss in 2022 and Moraes was knocked out, also by a knee.
The Brazilian thinks a second defeat will signal the end of his championship run, but not his fighting career.
“I’ve been on top of ONE Championship for such a long time, fighting for the belt,” Moraes said. “I think I’m at eight years fighting five rounds, fighting for the ONE Championship belt. Depending on the result, I really want my belt back and keep on top of the division, but otherwise, I really want to do super fights. We have other disciplines in ONE Championship. Let’s see what the future has for us, but for now it’s killed or be killed.”
With the title, the settling of the biggest rivalry in his career, and his future as a title contender on the line, this moment could add an immense pressure to any athlete. Moraes takes it as part of the job and he just focuses on performing, not the result.
“I like this kind of pressure, but it’s not pressure, it’s just the life,” Moraes said. “I think that in my career, I’ve been doing this for a long time – wins and loses happen to us constantly. I just want to go out there and do my job and put a show for the fans and show the power of ONE Championship in the United States.”
ONE Championship will make its long-awaited U.S. debut in 2023 with a highly anticipated trilogy bout.
ONE Championship will make its long-awaited U.S. debut in 2023 with a highly anticipated trilogy bout.
ONE flyweight champion [autotag]Demetrious Johnson[/autotag] will headline ONE’s first trip to the States for a fight card when he takes on former champion [autotag]Adriano Moraes[/autotag] in their third fight, the promotion announced Monday.
ONE on Prime Video 10 will take place May 5 at 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colo., near Denver. The card will stream free to Amazon Prime subscribers in the U.S. and Canada.
“This is a monumental day in the history of ONE Championship as we announce our U.S. on-ground debut in Colorado on Friday, May 5,” ONE chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong said in a news release. “We are very grateful for the support of the state athletic commission and look forward to putting on an unforgettable show for our passionate fanbase in the U.S. and watching around the world.”
The 36-year-old Johnson, a longtime UFC flyweight champion, won ONE’s flyweight (135 pounds) title in August with a fourth-round knockout in his rematch with Moraes. The two first fought in April 2021. In that fight, Moraes knocked out Johnson with a knee in the second round.
Johnson has gone 4-1 since he came to ONE in 2019 after years in the UFC. He won the promotion’s flyweight grand prix in 2019 before his eventual shot at Moraes 18 months later.
Moraes, a 34-year-old from Brazil, has been fighting for ONE for nearly a decade. He won the inaugural flyweight title in 2014, then an interim belt in 2016 and the unified belt in 2017. He lost the title in a rematch with Geje Eustaquio in 2018, but beat him in a rematch six months later. He had won seven of eight fights before his loss to Johnson.
Additional fights for the card are expected to be announced in the coming months.
Even though it’s 1-1, you could argue the series has tilted in Demetrious Johnson’s favor, but he doesn’t necessarily see it that way.
After five fights, [autotag]Demetrious Johnson[/autotag] is the ONE Championship flyweight champion but admits he’s still getting used to an important aspect of the promotion’s ruleset.
Prior to his ONE Champion debut in early 2019, Johnson spent eight years fighting for WEC/UFC, which doesn’t allow knees to a grounded opponent. In ONE Championship, they’re completely legal.
It’s how Johnson suffered his first promotional loss in April 2021 when he was stunningly knocked out by then-135-pound champion [autotag]Adriano Moraes[/autotag] with a knee to the face while sitting on his bottom. On Aug. 27, nearly 17 months later, Johnson got his revenge on Moraes when he won the rematch by fourth-round knockout with a perfectly timed flying knee to claim the title.
As far as the two performances go, you could make the case that the series tilts in Johnson’s favor, but he doesn’t necessarily see it that way.
“No, it’s 1-1,” Johnson told MMA Junkie Radio. “He beat me the first time. I ducked into the uppercut, and you know, I was trying to get up. He blasted me to the face with a knee and then he gave me a five-piece chicken meal on the ground, and that was all she wrote.”
Their first encounter didn’t get past the second round, with Johnson (31-4-1) holding his own until the grounded knee finished him. In the rematch, things looked even early until Johnson found his range and rhythm and started to take over until the finishing sequence in Round 4.
“In this one, it was a good fight back and forth,” Johnson said. “He was doing a good job taking me down. And when he took me down, I was like, I kind of know his ground game for the most part. But then after the first round – even in the first round when I was doing damage to him on the ground, and I cut him, I realized I cut him. I hit him, cut him, perfect, right above the eyeball, and (I was thinking) hopefully the blood will drip into his eye so he’ll be blind. I’m starting to think like that when I’m fighting. Then when we separated after the first round, I look over to his corner, and I was like, ‘Oh, I’m busting him up.’ And for me, I feel fine. I am getting hit from bottom, but it’s not something that’s gonna put my lights out.
“And I have great skin care, moisturize every single day. My wife does very good with my skin-care regiment so I don’t cut very easily. So I was totally fine being on the ground at that moment.”
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Besides, Johnson wasn’t discouraged by being on his back, he said, because it wasn’t as though Moraes was successfully hitting double- or single-leg takedowns. It was because the much taller Moraes caught a kick and was able to get Johnson off balance.
The way the fight unfolded pleased Johnson, even though he’s still getting used to being in the ONE cage.
“I realized I was busting him up on the bottom as the fight went on,” Johnson said. “He landed a couple of good knees and that front choke, and it’s just a different ball game. I’m still getting used to it. I’ve never been on the other receiving end of being front-choked, and I’m able to get kneed in the head. It’s very unique. The knees to the ground is a very unique style that you have to beware of. … I’m still learning, I’m still getting better with that whole dynamic of the knees to an opponent on the ground, but it was a great fight.
“I was able to land that right hand, line up that knee, and that’s all she wrote.”
In all likelihood, a trilogy between Johnson and Moraes should be on the horizon. If that ends up being the case, Johnson welcomes that.
Check out these photos from Demetrious Johnson vs. Adriano Moraes 2 at ONE on Prime Video 1 in Singapore.
Check out these photos from [autotag]Demetrious Johnson[/autotag]’s knockout victory over Adriano Moraes to win the flyweight title at ONE on Prime Video 1 at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore. (Photos courtesy of ONE Championship)
Sep 22, 2018; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver C.J. Saunders (80) against the Tulane Green Wave at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 31, 2017; Bloomington, IN, USA; Indiana Hoosiers running back Mike Majette (24) rushes the ball and is tackled by Ohio State Buckeyes defensive lineman Haskell Garrett (92) and defensive lineman Jerron Cage (98) in the first quarter of the game at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 7, 2019; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Binjimen Victor (9) and Ohio State Buckeyes cornerback Marcus Williamson (21) before the game against the Cincinnati Bearcats at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 24, 2018; Columbus, OH, USA; Michigan Wolverines running back Chris Evans (12) is taken down by Ohio State Buckeyes linebacker Pete Werner (20) during the first quarter at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 31, 2019; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes running back Demario McCall (30) during the first half against the Florida Atlantic Owls at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 18, 2019; Evanston, IL, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes place kicker Blake Haubeil (95) kicks a fifty five yard field goal against the Northwestern Wildcats during the first half at Ryan Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 10, 2018; East Lansing, MI, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes punter Drue Chrisman (91) runs off the field after a game against the Michigan State Spartans at Spartan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports
