Adriano Moraes sharpening striking with Fabricio Rocco to prepare for Demetrious Johnson rematch

Adriano Moraes is getting his tools ready at American Top Team ahead of his main event bout against Demetrious Johnson at ONE 161.

ATT striking coach Fabrico Rocco shared on Instagram that he’s working with Moraes in the gym to get him ready for another world title defense. In the caption, he wrote:

“Forging champions! Adriano Moraes champion of ONE Championship 8x....Let's win another victory.#metodonoguchi #americantopteam”

Since his arrival in ONE Championship in 2013, Adriano Moraes has been a force to be reckoned with because of his grappling and submission skills. In 20 MMA wins, ‘Mikinho’ has collected seven submissions in the Circle and 10 submission victories overall.

He’s been so good on the ground that people overlook the power behind his strikes. Moraes currently has four wins via TKO in his career, with none bigger than his conquest of Johnson at ONE on TNT back in April 2021.

There, Moraes knocked Johnson out in the first round of their match with a devastating knee strike. It was the Brazilian grappler’s first TKO win at ONE Championship, and Johnson’s first-ever TKO loss in his career.

Moraes earlier claimed that he will look for the submission this time around against Johnson. However, by working closely with Rocco, Moraes could also be looking to raise his knockout tally total closer to his submission wins.

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Adriano Moraes hoping to build on his legacy at ONE 161

Adriano Moraes and Demetrious Johnson’s second fight will headline ONE Championship’s first event on US prime time, ONE 161 on August 26th.

The No.1-ranked flyweight Johnson proved that he is still the greatest of all time after a brilliant performance against Rodtang Jitmuangnon at ONE X, in a special rules super-fight. The American held his own against Rodtang in the Muay Thai round and found a way to finish off the Thai phenom during the MMA round. Riding the momentum of his dominant win could be the difference this time around.

Meanwhile, Moraes believes he has nothing more to prove after his TKO win over Johnson in their first encounter. However, many critics still feel it may have been a fluke via a lucky shot, considering how quickly the finish came.

Nevertheless, the reigning ONE flyweight world champion will definitely look to silence critics by getting another huge win in their rematch.