Adriano Moraes ‘Honored’ To Fight Demetrious Johnson In U.S. Debut

For a lot of fighters in the flyweight division, facing a future Hall of Famer such as Demetrious Johnson is a dream come true.

That’s because for the last decade or so, Johnson has been widely considered the best flyweight in the world and he’s proven so in two of the biggest mixed martial arts (MMA) promotions in the world.

He was once the longtime UFC flyweight champion, and now he’s the reigning king of the aforementioned weight class under the ONE Championship banner.

For Adriano Moraes, the opportunity to go face-to-face “Mighty Mouse” is something that he’ll be getting to do for the third time when they headline ONE on Prime Video 10 at the 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colorado on May 5.

As accomplished as he is in his career, the former ONE flyweight titleholder admitted that going toe-to-toe with someone who was at one point widely touted as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world is an honor.

“Making this trilogy means a lot to me. It’s an honor for me to be able to make history in MMA by facing an athlete like Demetrious Johnson–an athlete I never imagined I would face, and now I’m going to fight him for the third time,” Moraes said in a recent interview.

“It’s very rewarding to have this opportunity, and I’m very happy to be doing this trilogy against one of the best fighters in the world.”

Moraes and Johnson have faced off twice before, with Johnson getting the victory and the ONE flyweight championship in their most recent meeting at ONE on Prime Video 1 back in August.

“It was a big loss for my career,” Moraes stated. “I learned a lot from that defeat. Especially because sharing the cage with one of the best fighters in the world is always a great learning experience. I always like to say that we earn a lot and learn a lot. “

“So, my biggest lesson is that no matter how much we get beaten up inside the cage, life will definitely hit harder. So, we always have to be prepared.”

The loss to “DJ” wasn’t Moraes’ first, but it was his first by knockout.

While he concedes that it was a bitter pill to swallow, the Brazilian spitfire takes solace in the fact that he knows he gave it his all.

“This had never happened to me,” Moraes expressed, “But as I’ve been in this sport for a long time, I knew it could happen to me someday. I was very upset with this defeat, but despite everything, I am aware that I did my best.”

“After the defeat, I did what I always do, regardless of whether I won or lost the fight. I took time for myself to recover, absorb everything that happened in the fight, and take some lessons,” he contined. “Then I went back to the academy to fix some mistakes, analyze some details of my game, and start all over again.”

Apart from squaring Johnson and earning the chance to reclaim the gold-plated strap, Moraes gets to be part of history at ONE on Prime Video 10 as it will be ONE Championship’s first-ever event in the United States.

As someone who has been a member of the organization’s roster since its formative years, Moraes is delighted to witness ONE Championship accomplish an important milestone as a global sports juggernaut.

“I was very happy with the news that the ONE Championship will be holding its first event in the United States. And I’m also very happy because I’m going to fight for the first time in the United States. ONE certainly deserves all the best, as they work hard for the growth of the sport. And I’m very excited and happy about it,” he stressed.

“Undoubtedly, it is a very important moment for the company. The company has always dreamed of holding an event on the other side of the world and closing major partnerships. I believe this moment has arrived. It’s a dream that will come true, and it will give fighters many opportunities.”