ONE on Prime Video 10: Johnson-Moraes III set for ONE Championship’s US mainland debut
ONE Championship will make its United States mainland debut next year, with the trilogy fight between ONE flyweight world champion Demetrious Johnson and Adriano Moraes headlining ONE on Prime Video 10.
Johnson vs. Moraes III, which might be the greatest trilogy match in flyweight mixed martial arts history, will transpire on May 5, 2023 at the 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colorado.
Though ONE Championship already has a considerable presence on American screens, this will be the first time that the promotion sets a card on US soil.
Johnson and Moraes dominated MMA’s flyweight division throughout the 2010s, with the two fighters creating their legacies from opposite ends of the world,
‘Mighty Mouse’ is considered one of the greatest fighters ever, having defended the UFC flyweight world title a record 11 times, a feat considered unbreakable. During that run, Johnson beat the likes of Henry Cejudo, Ray Borg, John Dodson, and Kyoji Horiguchi.
Johnson then moved to ONE Championship in 2019, where he continued his brilliance by winning the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix Championship at ONE: Century Part I in October of that year.
Moraes, meanwhile, defined the flyweight division in ONE Championship. The Brazilian superstar became the inaugural ONE flyweight world champion when he beat rival Geje Eustaquio at ONE: Rise of the Kingdom in September 2014.
Though he lost the belt to Kairat Akhmetov in November 2015, Moraes was far from done. 'Mikinho' captured interim gold when he submitted Tilek Batyrov in the second round at ONE: Heroes of the World in August 2016.
Moraes then unified the world titles when he beat Akhmetov via unanimous decision a year later at ONE: Kings and Conquerors.
Relive the ONE Championship rivalry between Johnson and Moraes
While the 2010s was bereft of a matchup between the sport’s greatest-ever flyweights, 2021 saw Adriano Moraes and Demetrious Johnson finally share the circle.
Moraes may have held the ONE flyweight world title in his first meeting with Johnson at ONE on TNT I in April 2021, but he was seen as the underdog against the MMA legend.
Hungry to defend his belt and his reputation, Moraes shocked the world when he knocked Johnson out with a crashing knee strike in the second round of their match.
More than a year after their first fight, the rematch between Moraes and Johnson was set for the main event of ONE on Prime Video 1 this past August.
Johnson had his second crack at Moraes and delivered a poetic performance that captured his absolute greatness. After struggling in the first two rounds, Johnson found his footing and tagged Moraes repeatedly. It was in the fourth where Johnson decided to finish things off.
After landing a straight right hand, Johnson jumped in for a flying knee that immediately knocked Moraes out. The victory ultimately cemented Johnson’s legend by becoming the only person to win both UFC and ONE flyweight world championships.