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Adriano Moraes just beat Demetrious Johnson, arguably the greatest flyweight of all-time. He now wants to fight DJ's former rival, Henry Cejudo.
Moraes's win over Johnson in April was undoubtedly the biggest of the Brazilian's career. Defending his flyweight title at ONE on TNT, Moraes finished 'Mighty Mouse' with an uppercut, a knee and some ground-and-pound, inflicting what was Johnson's first defeat since losing to Cejudo in his final UFC bout in 2018.
With his victory over the former UFC flyweight champion, Moraes is very much in a position to call his shot and he wants to have a crack at 'Triple C'. Speaking to AsianMMA, Moraes said:
"I heard Henry Cejudo's gonna come back next year. Why not they can make this big fight for us? Maybe it can happen. Imagine. It would be awesome. Why not? Everything can happen. You saw - Demetrious Johnson fought against Adriano Moraes, so why not?"
Catch AsianMMA's full interview with Adriano Moraes below:
Moraes isn't the only one who's keen to fight Cejudo. Johnson also said he'd want to take on the former Olympian in a trilogy fight if 'The Messenger' were to sign for ONE.
Cejudo is said to be friends with ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong, but any potential move will likely hinge upon Cejudo fighting out the remainder of his UFC contract first.
Adriano Moraes is keeping a close eye on ONE: Winter Warriors
Given Cejudo's contract situation, any fight between Moraes and the former two-division UFC champ is unlikely to be on the cards anytime soon.
Meanwhile, two of the ONE champion's most worthy suiters are both in action over the next two shows inside the Circle. Yuya Wakamatsu sits at No.3 in the flyweight rankings. The Japanese contender will take on in-form Chinese fighter Yong Hu at ONE: Winter Warriors on Friday.
The main event at ONE: Winter Warriors part II will see No.2-ranked Danny Kingad face No.4-ranked Kairat Akhmetov. Moraes has fought both men, but is keen on the option of a trilogy fight with the latter.
"All my contenders are going to fight this month and I'm here watching. Looking at the rankings, you have Yuya Wakamatsu of course. And Kairat Akhmetov. I think the trilogy. He's come over with three big wins and he's a tough fighter. I have one win against him, he has one win against me so I think the trilogy can happen in ONE Championship."
Adriano Moraes has been busy at American Top Team helping teammates Rani Yahya, Kyoji Horiguchi and Pedro Munhoz get ready for some big fights.
Moraes can now start to focus on who his own next opponent will be. The upcoming few weeks should make the outlook much clearer in terms of who Moraes will defend his title against next. He said he's looking to book his return for February 2022.
