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Demetrious Johnson went through a trilogy of bouts with rival Adriano Moraes, and he’s quite happy that he’s past that chapter in his storied career.
The pair ended their rivalry in the main event of ONE Fight Night 10: Johnson vs. Moraes III on Prime Video with ‘Mighty Mouse’ retaining the ONE flyweight world title on May 5 in Colorado.
In front of a sold-out crowd at 1stBank Center, Johnson finished the series with a dominant unanimous decision win in the first defense of his young world title reign.
In an interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, the American legend said he feels he’s breathing in a waft of fresh air after he ended his matchup against Moraes.
“Yeah, absolutely. I think sometimes when you focus on one opponent for so long, it almost kinda, it doesn’t stop your growth for fighting but you know like I said before we fought in August and we’re fighting in MMA. That’s a nine-month turnaround so it’s not, in MMA months that’s very quick that’s a quick turnaround. It’s like somebody gets surgery and you’re back in there right?”
Moraes and Johnson were embroiled in a years-long feud that officially started when ‘Mighty Mouse’ captured the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix Title in 2019.
After a bit of delay due to the global effects of COVID-19, the pair had their first match at ONE Fight Night I in April 2021. The first fight, though, went to Moraes’ pocket with the Brazilian star knocking out Johnson with a grounded knee to defend the ONE flyweight world title.
They met in an iconic rematch at ONE on Prime Video 1 in August 2022 with Johnson finally coming out on top.
Johnson captured the ONE flyweight world title when he jumped in for a thunderous flying knee that knocked Moraes out in the fourth round of their second matchup in Singapore.
Though the third fight didn’t end in a knockout, Johnson’s technical offensive game was still on full display as he captured the unanimous decision win in ONE Championship’s on-site United States debut.
ONE Fight Night 10 is available on replay for free to all Prime Video subscribers in North America.
