Adriano Moraes wants Reece McLaren fight for vacant flyweight gold: "The fight to make"
Former ONE flyweight MMA world champion Adriano Moraes has the perfect opponent in mind should he clear his next assignment at ONE 169. The Brazilian veteran will cross paths with third-ranked Danny Kingad inside the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on Nov. 8 in a flyweight joust that has all the makings of being a world title eliminator contest.
With the divisional gold now vacant in light of Demetrious Johnson's retirement at ONE 168: Denver, 'Mikinho' knows there's no better time for him to return to the winner's column after going down in back-to-back bouts to the AMC Pankration and Evolve MMA representative.
Should all go to plan, the 36-year-old feels that he and No.4-ranked standout Reece McLaren should share the Circle to crown the new divisional king.
Adriano Moraes told ONE Championship:
"I believe the next contender will be Reece McLaren. I want to face him [for the world title] because he is one of the only athletes in the rankings that I haven't fought yet. We were supposed to fight in 2018, but it didn't happen."
He added:
"He's an athlete who's been in ONE Championship for a long time. So, I think he deserves to fight for the title as well. So I think that would be the fight to make."
McLaren, who hails from Christmas Island, has also made a case for himself to be next in line for a shot at the title over the past couple of years. The 33-year-old Australian standout has won five of his last seven fights under the ONE banner, and just yesterday, he took to Instragram to announce that he'll be back on the global stage soon.
Adriano Moraes confident he'll draw a tap from Kingad at ONE 169
Before he shifts his focus to McLaren and the world title he once owned, Adriano Moraes has his radar locked on Kingad. The pair went toe-to-toe at ONE: Legends of the World in 2017, with 'Mikinho's rear-naked choke ending proceedings inside the opening round. When they renew hostilities inside the Mecca of Muay Thai on Nov. 8, the Brazilian is sure history will repeat itself.
In the same interview with the promotion, the American Top Team and Constrictor Team athlete added:
"I'm going into this fight very conscious and very focused that I'm going to submit him again. I'm going to get him."