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“The best knockout” - Shocked fans react to Demetrious Johnson’s iconic flying knee KO of Adriano Moraes

Demetrious Johnson is undoubtedly one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time, and one clip, among his dozens of insane moments, will forever live in fans' memories.

The American legend captured possibly the most poetic victory in the sport's history when he knocked out archrival Adriano Moraes to capture the ONE flyweight MMA world title in their rematch at ONE on Prime Video 1.

ONE Championship promised a banger of a main event in its Amazon debut, and Johnson delivered when he took out Moraes with a vengeful flying knee 3:50 into the fourth round of their world title rematch in Singapore.

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The promotion looked back on the insane clip on Instagram:

"Is THIS the craziest knockout in MMA? 🤯 Demetrious Johnson pulled off one of the most INSANE moments in martial arts in his second showdown against Adriano Moraes!"

Almost three years since that historic moment, fans still gasp at the utter visual of Johnson pushing Moraes to the cage before flying through the air for the gnarly finish.

Demetrious Johnson's flying knee finish was the perfect revenge after he suffered the only knockout loss of his iconic career against Moraes at ONE on TNT I in April 2021.

Moraes retained his then-ONE flyweight MMA world title in his first showdown against Johnson after he snatched 'Mighty Mouse's' soul with a vicious grounded knee in their Singapore matchup.

With such a historic feud simmering between them, Johnson evened the score with his knee strike knockout in 2022 to capture the ONE flyweight MMA world title.

Johnson ultimately ended his rivalry with Moraes with a calculated unanimous decision win in their trilogy match at ONE Fight Night 10 in May 2023 in Colorado.

Fans' comments on Demetrious Johnson's KO of Adriano Moraes. [Photo from ONE Championship's Instagram]
Fans' comments on Demetrious Johnson's KO of Adriano Moraes. [Photo from ONE Championship's Instagram]

Demetrious Johnson wants to be remembered for his evolution amid his world title wins

Demetrious Johnson is as historic as anyone in the pantheon of MMA.

The Washington native is the only fighter in MMA history to have held world titles in ONE Championship and the UFC.

Before arriving in ONE Championship in 2019, Johnson defended the UFC flyweight world title a record 11 straight times.

He then reigned with the ONE flyweight MMA world title from 2022 until his retirement in 2024.

Demetrious Johnson told MMA Fighting that amid his world title historic dominance, he wants to be remembered as a fighter who continued to evolve every time he stepped inside the cage.

"Because it’s very rare that you see someone getting the belt, becoming a world champion, and then going out there and defending their belt time and time and time again and showing new skills as they’re growing as the champion."

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