No Resting on Laurels

Adriano Moraes may not live on past exploits, but he certainly recognizes their value. In his case, they created some historic ripples.

The finely tuned Brazilian will defend his undisputed One Championship flyweight crown when his rematch with Demetrious Johnson headlines One on Prime Video 1 this Saturday at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore. A little more than a year has passed since Moraes became the first man to finish the former Ultimate Fighting Championship titleholder, having done so with a stunning second-round knee strike at One on TNT 1 in April 2021.

“I had a beautiful win over him last year,” he told Sherdog.com. “It’s a fight that my coaches and I had been wanting for a long time. Thankfully, it happened. After Demetrious switched from the UFC to One, I saw this great opportunity for me to be able to face him and see who was the best in the world. I’m glad I had the chance, and I beat him decisively.”

Johnson, 36, has not fought since. Moraes, meanwhile, returned to the cage on March 26, when he retained his championship with a guillotine choke submission of Yuya Wakamatsu in the third round of their One “One X” pairing. It was his third consecutive victory and improved him to 11-3 in the promotion.

“These wins show the consistency of my work,” he said. “They show we’re doing the right thing at my gym. I’ll stay on this path to ensure more positive results.”

Moraes still operates out of American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Florida, where renowned coaches like Vitelmo Kubis Bandeira, Ivan de Oliveira and Marcos da Matta keep his skills razor sharp alongside a cadre of world-class stablemates, from Marcus Almeida and Kyoji Horiguchi to Pedro Munhoz, Marlon Moraes and Tony Gravely.

“I always focus on jiu-jitsu, but without a doubt, I’m always looking to become a better striker,” he said. “I want to show this each time I fight. I’m putting focus on my boxing so I can hopefully knock Demetrious out again. I work with a great group of lighter fighters at ATT.”

The fact that Moraes was chosen to main event the first show of the One Championship-Amazon Prime deal was not lost on him.

“It will bring us a lot of good, no doubt,” he said. “We’ll have way more views. The big winners will be American fans, who will get to know the home of martial arts. It’s an honor to be headlining this card and defending my title under this partnership. The same thing happened last year with TNT. It opened many doors. Now we’re opening even more. I’m thankful for this chance to do what I do, and I look forward to winning this fight.”

Though Johnson has regressed from his peak due to age and mileage, he still poses a significant threat. The AMC Pankration ace and a man most view as the greatest flyweight in history has never suffered back-to-back defeats in a 35-fight career that now spans more than 15 years. Moraes understands the challenge being laid before him as well as anyone.

“When you fight the best of all-time, it’s hard to predict how things will play out,” he said, “but I want to get a finish in the third or fourth round. I’m very experienced at this point of my career. I’m getting ready to defend my belt against a legend yet again. I feel I’m still in my prime and in my best shape.”