Adriano Moraes looks back at his iconic KO of Demetrious Johnson: “One thing can change everything”
Adriano Moraes reflected on how his win against Demetrious Johnson.
In April 2021, Moraes had an opportunity to secure a legacy-defining win against one of the greatest fighters of all time, Demetrious Johnson. At the time, 'Mikinho' was a multiple-time ONE flyweight MMA world champion but didn't have the resume to solidify his presence on a global scale.
At ONE on TNT 1, everything changed for Moraes when he secured a second-round knockout against Johnson. Since then, the Brazilian flyweight has earned respect worldwide for being one of the most dangerous fighters in his division.
Moraes recently did an interview with Party Starter Radio to discuss his fighting career. While talking about ONE on TNT 1, 'Mikinho' had this to say:
"It’s funny because one thing can change everything. How good is the universe when you pray for something? When you do good things, everything is going to happen in your favor."
Adriano Moraes has fought three times since ONE on TNT 1. He started with a third-round submission win against Yuya Wakamatsu. Unfortunately for Moraes, Demetrious Johnson emerged victorious in their second and third fights, sending the former flyweight king into 2024 with a two-fight losing streak.
Watch Moraes' entire interview with Party Starter Radio below:
What's next for Adriano Moraes in ONE Championship?
Demetrious Johnson officially retired from MMA, starting a new chapter in the ONE flyweight division. It's unclear when ONE Championship will book a fight for the vacant strap, but an upcoming matchup at ONE 169 is expected to determine one of the challengers.
On November 8, Adriano Moraes will fight number three-ranked Danny Kingad at ONE 169. The event was initially scheduled to take place in North America before promotional obligations led to a movement to the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Moraes and Kingad first fought in November 2017, with the former taking the win by first-round submission at ONE: Legends of The World.
There were speculations about Moraes vs. Kingad being upgraded to a vacant flyweight MMA world title fight. Instead, the winner could face number two-ranked Yuya Wakamatsu, who's coming off wins against Xie Wei and Kingad.
ONE 169, including Moraes vs. Kingad, can be seen by North American and Canadian viewers with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.