5 reasons why Adriano Moraes will beat Demetrious Johnson in their rematch at ONE on Prime Video 1

#4. Ground skills

Speaking of ground skills, Adriano Moraes will have a grappling advantage if they take their fight to the mat.

The 34-year-old traces his martial arts roots to BJJ, where he holds a black belt. His mastery on the ground is evident with seven of his 11 wins in the circle ending by way of submission. Even his fights that went the distance were scored in his favor because of his unmatched ability to control his opponent on the ground.

Of course, Johnson is no slouch off his feet. The former wrestler skillfully uses his first martial art discipline to take his opponents to the ground at will. He’s had his share of otherworldly submissions throughout his career and has worked his way up to brown belt in BJJ. His latest outing saw him squeeze the life out of the eyes of Muay Thai legend Rodtang Jitmuangnon in a mixed-rules fight.

In a grappling-heavy contest, Johnson’s grappling prowess could be outmatched by Adriano Moraes’ proficiency in ‘The Gentle Art'.

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#3. A diverse striking arsenal

Because of his incredible grappling skills, Moraes has not needed to rely on his striking too much during his run in ONE Championship. However, he definitely has power behind his strikes, and even Johnson can attest to that.

Additionally, the promotion applies the Global Martial Arts Rule Set for its MMA bouts, which allows for a more diverse range of strikes compared to other MMA rule sets. Moraes already has 14 bouts to his name under this ruleset compared to only four for Johnson. As such, 'Mikinho' is more adept at the variety of strikes that he could use or defend against.

This was all showcased in their first encounter last year at ONE on TNT 1. During the second round of their matchup, Moraes stuffed a rushed takedown attempt by Johnson and snuck in a powerful right hand that rocked the American icon. As 'Mighty Mouse' attempted to get back to his feet, Moraes planted a precision knee to his head - a move that is legal under ONE rules.

Adriano Moraes has been able to use his killer striking in their first encounter, and he will no doubt look to use it again if only to prove that his first win was no fluke.