Demetrious Johnson plans a more ‘patient’ approach in Adriano Moraes rematch at ONE 161

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Demetrious Johnson (L) and Adriano Moraes (R) [Credit: Instagram @mighty, @moraesadrianomma]

The highly anticipated world title rematch between 12-time former UFC flyweight world champion Demetrious Johnson and the Brazilian king of the flyweight division, Adriano Moraes, comes to fruition this August on Amazon Prime Video.

Johnson plans to redeem himself on the international stage after suffering a defeat at the hands of the Brazilian world champion at ONE on TNT last year.

This time around, Johnson intends on being more ’patient.'

He told ONE:

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"I know I have to be patient. Before I fought [Moraes], I watched his fights, and I thought, ‘Okay, he never really engages.’ He’s always used his movement or whatnot. And then fighting him, I realized he really didn’t engage because I was chasing him the whole time.”

Moraes’ fighting style is more tentative compared to Johnson’s. The Brazilian native did well keeping ‘Mighty Mouse’ at bay with long, rangy punches and kicks. One of the things Moraes does very effectively is frustrate opponents into taking action, and it’s often in those close encounters where Moraes does his best work.

Demetrious Johnson continued to say:

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"Then watching him [successfully defend his belt against] Yuya Wakamatsu, he didn’t really engage. So this time, I just got to be on my P's and Q's and just be more mindful of not overcommitting.”

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Adriano Moraes used the same strategy against Wakamatsu at ONE X earlier this year, where he waited for the challenger to engage until the opportunity to strike became apparent. Dangerous on the ground as usual, ‘Mikinho’ ultimately submitted the Japanese challenger with a slick guillotine choke in the third round.

While it's humbling for any athlete to accept defeat, ‘Mighty Mouse’ handled the loss like a true legend. With ONE 161 quickly approaching, Demetrious Johnson is eager to right his wrongs and beat Adriano Moraes at Moraes' own game.

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Recap Demetrious Johnson vs. Rodtang Jitmuangnon

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Demetrious Johnson brawled with another world champion recently. He squared-off with 'The Iron Man' himself, Rodtang Jitmuangnon, in a special rules, super-fight at ONE X in March.

Fans were stoked to see two stylistically different fighters collide in the ONE circle. With wild predictions circulating on social media, no one imagined that Demetrious Johnson was going to have the last word.

'Mighty Mouse' survived the fiery blows of the Muay Thai world champion in the first round, which took place under Muay Thai rules. At first Johnson looked a bit disoriented, but he fought his way through the fog as Rodtang searched for a knockout.

In the second round, which took place under MMA rules, 'Mighty Mouse' put the pressure on and quickly took control of Rodtang’s back. Rodtang did his best to defend the choke, ultimately succumbing to the grappling master to end the fight.

Rewatch the epic, mixed-rules showdown below:

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