"I really enjoyed the experience" - Adriano Moraes has no regrets despite losing trilogy to Demetrious Johnson
If things had gone his way, Adriano Moraes would have wanted to close out his rivalry with Demetrious Johnson on a winning note.
Unfortunately for the Brazilian superstar, he fell short in his grudge match with 'Mighty Mouse' at ONE Fight Night 10 last year, effectively losing two of his three meetings with his greatest adversary.
Still, Moraes walked away with his head up high, knowing he did the best he could against arguably one of the greatest to ever don the four-ounce gloves.
The former multi-time flyweight MMA world champion told Combate in a recent interview:
"I really enjoyed [the] experience even though I lost the fight on points. I left the fight injured but I fought well, you know."
Moraes, of course, still made history as the only fighter to knock out Johnson during his storied career.
The American Top Team representative rocked the MMA world when he delivered a crushing knee to 'DJ' in their first encounter back in 2021.
Moraes will look to deliver another statement finish on Nov. 8, when he faces familiar foe Danny Kingad at ONE 169 inside Bangkok's iconic Lumpinee Stadium.
ONE 169: Malykhin vs Reug Reug will air live in US Primetime free of charge for Prime Video subscribers in North America.
Watch Adriano Moraes' full interview in his native Portuguese:
Adriano Moraes says KO win over Demetrious Johnson changed his life
Adriano Moraes went from an underrated gem to a global superstar after delivering that wicked knee that took out Demetrious Johnson.
'Mikinho' recalled the greatest win of his career in a recent interview with Party Starter Radio:
"It changed my life completely, because with that knockout, I got to draw my new contract with ONE Championship, and that was a life changer."
Needless to say, Moraes' skills have also grown exponentially since, and e'll look to make another run at the flyweight MMA belt that 'Mighty Mouse' vacated upon his retirement.