Adriano Moraes’ 3 best submission wins inside the Circle

Anyone who has ever faced Adriano Moraes has to watch out for his sensational ground game.

‘Mikinho’, after all, is a submission hunter of the highest order, capable of ending the fight on the mats anywhere and anytime with his wide array of chokes and joint locks.

The multi-time former ONE flyweight world champion has 10 career wins by submission, with seven of those taking place inside the Circle.

This lethal aspect of his well-rounded game will once again be on full display at ONE Fight Night 10: Johnson vs Moraes III on Prime Video.

On May 5, the 1stBank Center in Colorado will serve as the battleground for the biggest trilogy match of Moraes’ storied career against his rival Demetrious Johnson.

The massive firefight for the ONE flyweight world title will air live and free for Amazon Prime Video subscribers in North America.

While Adriano Moraes has truly evolved into a complete martial artist through the years, there’s no doubt that his jiu-jitsu is his bread and butter.

Let’s recall three of his best submission wins in ONE Championship.

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#3 Geje Eustaquio (ONE: Rise of the Kingdom)

Moraes and Geje Eustaquio’s paths crossed thrice inside the Circle, and that rivalry was born back in 2014.

The Brazilian drew first blood by denying the Team Lakay staple’s shot at the inaugural ONE flyweight crown.

After a feel-out process in round 1, Moraes came out as the aggressor in the second canto and had Eustaquio on the defensive with his constant pressure.

‘Mikinho’ trapped his foe near the Circle walls and completed a beautiful double-leg takedown.

Although Gravity stood up and reversed the position, Moraes was still one step ahead. In one swift motion, the American Top Team standout latched onto Eustaquio’s exposed neck and pulled guard for an extremely tight guillotine choke.

The Filipino valiantly tried to escape the precarious position, but his face was already turning purple from the lack of oxygen. The tap came soon after, which ushered Moraes’ first world title reign.

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#2 Danny Kingad (ONE: Legends of the World)

Aside from his overwhelming top pressure, what makes Moraes a true handful on the ground is his ridiculous squeezing power.

Danny Kingad learned this the hard way when he failed to usurp ‘Mikinho’ from his flyweight throne in 2017.

‘The King’ became the second Team Lakay fighter to succumb to Moraes’ vicious submission game. He couldn’t even make it past the first round.

The Philippines’ National Wushu world champion initially tried to make it a stand-up battle early on and found success with his wild strikes.

However, Moraes was simply just biding his time as he took the fight to the ground after catching one of his kicks.

From there, the now 34-year-old fighter softened Kingad up with strikes and masterfully transitioned to his opponent’s back in no time.

Once ‘Mikinho’ secured that suffocating body triangle of his, everyone knew Kingad was living on borrowed time.

Like a boa constrictor slowly squeezing the life out of its helpless prey, Moraes got under the Filipino’s chin and patiently peeled away his defending arm.

He performed a textbook rear naked choke that had Kingad wincing in agony and was left with no choice but to tap.

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#1 Yuya Wakamatsu (ONE X)

After his career-defining win over ‘DJ’, Moraes successfully defended his world title against knockout artist Yuya Wakamatsu last year.

He reminded the Japanese powerhouse why it’s never a good idea to try and take him down.

The wise world champion was understandably wary of the challenger’s power and used his length to keep him at bay.

To his credit, ‘Little Piranha’ aggressively pushed forward and even penetrated Moraes’ defenses with his punishing strikes.

Wakamatsu was also able to survive the grappling exchanges in the first two rounds. However, he made the fatal mistake of trying to wrestle ‘Mikinho’ in round three and paid the ultimate price.

After securing a few takedowns, the Japanese fighter’s confidence grew and once again shot for a well-timed double-leg.

He completed the attempt but made the fatal mistake of leaving his neck wide open for the taking.

Moraes did not need a second invitation and latched onto his signature guillotine choke like there was no tomorrow.

Wakamatsu did the right thing by trying to posture up to relieve some of the pressure, but Mikinho simply adjusted his leverage and realigned his grip like an inescapable Venus flytrap.