Keys to victory for Adriano Moraes and Demetrious Johnson at ONE on Prime Video 1
On August 26 at ONE on Prime Video 1, ONE flyweight world champion Adriano Moraes will square off once again with MMA legend Demetrious Johnson. It's undoubtedly the biggest and most anticipated rematch in ONE Championship history. The magnitude of this fight can't be overstated.
In their first meeting, Moraes became the first man to ever knock out 12-time UFC world champion Demetrious Johnson. The win signified and solidified the caliber of ONE fighters against the rest of the world.
Being that Moraes stopped the man most considered to be the GOAT, fans, fighters and pundits alike are eager to see if he can do it a second time. As for Johnson, there's still a lot of steam left in the legend and we're all excited to see him bounce back from the first truly devastating loss of his career.
With just a few days away from their fateful meeting, we'll look into three possible keys to victory for both Moraes and Johnson come August 26.
For Demetrious Johnson: stick-and-move, use feints and utilize as much of the circle as possible
ONE Championship's famous circle is a massive caged enclosure and Demetrious Johnson will have to use every inch of it if he wants to win the belt this Friday. The American MMA icon has to utilize his legendary movement to dart in and out of range to land nifty combinations while gliding out of the way of counters.
In the first fight, 'Mighty Mouse' arguably stayed in the pocket for too long, leaving himself vulnerable to the counter uppercut that sent him to the canvas. He needs to stick and move a lot to avoid Moraes' powerful strikes and overwhelming grappling. Demetrious Johnson also needs to use a lot of feints to give Moraes different looks and keep him guessing.
If Johnson comes in prepared to do this consistently for a full 25-minute bout, there's no question he'll come home with the belt on Friday.