This Friday night, two flyweight legends from the world of mixed martial arts go head-to-head once again at ONE Fight Night 10 in Colorado.
Demetrious Johnson AKA ‘Mighty Mouse’ will take on Adriano ‘Mikinho’ Moraes for the 135 pound title.
ONE Championship’s greatest ever rivalry will be settled on May 5 with a trilogy for the ages. It currently stands at one apiece – both fighters with a knockout victory over the other.
The uncanny resemblance of how the previous two fights ended makes the upcoming bout even more tantalising.
Three-time ONE champion Moraes defended the flyweight belt against Johnson back in 2021. He landed an uppercut that dropped DJ and followed it up with a crushing knee to the head of his downed opponent. After some ground and pound, the referee stopped the action and Moraes was victorious.
Ex-UFC flyweight champion Johnson would take his revenge 16 months later in similar fashion in the rematch to capture ONE gold. After landing a stunning right cross, DJ pursued the stumbling Moraes to the cage where he landed a vicious flying knee which knocked the Brazilian out cold.
Neither fighter had a KO loss on their respective records until they met each other in the cage.
This Friday will mark ONE Championship’s first event on U.S soil, and what a homecoming it would be for Johnson if he could defend his title in the trilogy against his rival.
‘Mighty Mouse’ may be widely regarded as one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time by avid MMA fans, but he is also one of the most underappreciated.
Johnson has always been a technically sound fighter with wonderful all-round skills, but has never been known as a finisher in the sport and this may be why he does not get the credit he deserves.
The violent KO of Moraes in 2022 certainly turned heads though, but will the third fight between the flyweight warriors be Johnson’s last in his glittering career? He has expressed interest in retiring after the showdown on Friday night.
The 35-year-old Moraes will be looking to secure a legacy defining victory over his biggest rival. The submission specialist is one of the pillars of the flyweight division and won the inaugural title at this weight class.
Despite this intense rivalry, there is nothing but respect between the two fighters. The stakes are high for this one and a score will finally be settled, but whatever happens on Friday night both men will be remembered as two of the best flyweight mixed martial artists ever.
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