“This guy was going to smash me and I’m done” - Adriano Moraes reacts to first fight with ‘Mighty Mouse’

Adriano Moraes will defend his ONE flyweight world title in one the promotion’s biggest events of all time, ONE on Prime Video 1 on August 26th. ‘Mikinho’ will once again face flyweight great Demetrious Johnson with ONE gold up for grabs.

Moraes will attempt to do what no man has done before by defeating ‘Mighty Mouse’ not once, but twice. In their first outing at ONE on TNT 1, Moraes delivered a highlight reel knockout of the former world champion, scoring a massive upset against Johnson who was as high as a -700 favorite on sportsbooks.

Even Adriano Moraes himself admitted a lack of confidence when he was first offered the bout with Johnson back in 2021. Speaking to Denise Salcedo, Moraes talked about his initial apprehension before finally accepting the bout and earning the biggest win of his career.

“Before, when I received the proposal for the fight, I thought ‘man, I was f***** up. Like, this guy was going to smash me and man, I’m done. But then, I came back home, I [thought] a lot, and changed my mindset, I trained hard as always, went to the fight, entered the Circle, I just [let my game flow]. Everything happened in a perfect way. So everything after this, I just [came] back home, was grateful, hugged my wife and hugged my mom and said, ‘we did it.’”

Watch the first fight below:

---

Adriano Moraes’ massive win over Demetrious Johnson changed things for ‘Mikinho’

Following his win over Demetrious Johnson in April 2021, Adriano Moraes saw a lot of changes both within himself and with his fanbase. Initially overflowing with uncertainty, Moraes relied on his hard work and dedication to being the best. Retaining his world title gave Moraes the confidence boost he may have been lacking when initially approached about facing ‘Mighty Mouse.’ It also exposed him to a whole new world of MMA fans.

“It was a big win. It changed a little bit, like just my fan base. A lot of people pay attention right now to my job and, like, my fights,” said Moraes while speaking to ONE Championship

Adriano Moraes plans to repeat his spectacular showing with another finish against Johnson when the two meet again at ONE on Prime Video 1, but ‘Mikinho’ is ready for a much different ’Mighty Mouse' than the one he met last year.

"This is the kind of fight that is very difficult to predict. Demetrious Johnson is a very smart guy, very tough, and I know he’s coming in very hungry for this rematch. I’m training a lot. I want to show my evolution as an athlete, so I believe I can get a submission in the fourth round.”