Adriano Moraes relishes contender status after loss to Demetrious Johnson: “That’s my mindset now”

When former ONE flyweight world champion ‘Mikinho’ Adriano Moraes ruled the ONE Championship flyweight division, the 35-year-old Brazilian says there was a mountain of pressure placed on his shoulders. But now that the weight has been lifted, Moraes says he relishes being just another contender in the ranks, working his way back up.

Speaking in a recent interview with ONE Championship, Moraes addressed his career now after losing the flyweight belt against Demetrious ‘Mighty Mouse’ Johnson last May.

‘Mikinho’ said:

“When you are a champion, you end up fighting less. When you’re not the champion, which is the good part, you can already ask for the next opponent. That’s my mindset now. I want to do as many fights as possible. So hopefully I’ll be back in the cage soon. That’s my wish.”

Moraes lost the world title to Johnson last May at ONE Fight Night 10: Johnson vs. Moraes III on Prime Video. ‘Mighty Mouse’ turned in a dominant performance over ‘Mikinho’ across five action-packed rounds, and the Brazilian failed to win their trilogy matchup.

Nevertheless, now the no.1-ranked flyweight MMA contender, Moraes remains motivated to continue his Hall of Fame-worthy career, and looks to lock horns with anyone in the division’s top five.

One man who Moraes could end up facing is no.3-ranked flyweight contender Reece ‘Lightning’ McLaren of Australia. McLaren recently expressed interest in facing Moraes, which could prove to be an interesting matchup between well-rounded fighters.

Both Moraes and McLaren hold black belts in jiu-jitsu, and have fairly decent striking.

Stay tuned to Sportskeeda for news and updates on Adriano Moraes’ next fight.