“I've never done a walk-off knockout” - Demetrious Johnson on where his latest win ranks in his favorite finishes
Demetrious Johnson reached the top of the ONE Championship mountain with a spectacular flying knee knockout of flyweight star Adriano Moraes in the ONE on Prime Video 1 main event. ‘Mighty Mouse’ avenged his ONE on TNT 1 loss to ‘Mikinho’ with a fourth-round highlight-reel KO that earned him the ONE flyweight world championship a little over three years removed from his promotional debut in 2019.
Speaking to ONE during his post-fight interview, Johnson shared his excitement about delivering a historic knockout, comparing it to some of the biggest wins in his storied mixed martial arts career.
“Yeah, it's up there. You know, I've never done a walk-off knockout. So that's pretty dope. You know, I've done a high kick like Mirko Cro Cop, I've done a liver shot. I've done right hand against Joseph Benavidez. So yeah, man, like I said, I'm just grateful and blessed to be in the position I am in.”
Demetrious Johnson was as humble in his victory as he was in defeat 16 months ago. Showing respect to Adriano Moraes, Johnson said that he would be prepared to complete the trilogy with ‘Mikinho’ should the powers that be opt to go that route.
“Nothing but respect to Adriano. We have both been on the receiving ends of knockouts from each other. So I'm sure he's going to go home, he's going to rest up, he's going to make adjustments. I'll go home, make adjustments, and rest up. And if it's Adriano next or if it's Kairat Akhmetov, it is what it is.”
Who’s next for Demetrious Johnson?
With ONE gold firmly wrapped around his waist, Demetrious Johnson will go home, relish the moment and await his next assignment. The likeliest of scenarios is that ‘Mighty Mouse’ will meet Adriano Moraes in a trilogy bout with the two fighters sitting at 1-1. It’s a logical fight to make and would be incredibly easy to sell given their history, but a third outing with Moraes is not the only option.
As DJ mentioned, Kairat Akhmetov sits in the no. 2 spot on the ONE Championship flyweight rankings. One spot behind Moraes himself, a case can be made for Akhmetov to get the opportunity to make Demetrious Johnson’s world title reign a short one.
Having already defeated three of the promotion’s top five contenders, it would be hard to deny Akhmetov’s claim as the rightful challenger if for some reason, Johnson vs. Moraes 3 does not come to fruition. Another option for ‘The Kazakh’ is a fight with the only member of the top five he hasn’t squared off with yet, Yuya Wakamatsu.