“Horrible technique by me” – Demetrious Johnson breaks down exact moment he got knocked out by Adriano Moraes

ONE flyweight MMA world champion Demetrious Johnson is looking back at his devastating knockout loss at the hands of longtime titleholder Adriano Moraes.

‘Mighty Mouse’ and Moraes engaged in one of the most memorable trilogies in mixed martial arts history, culminating at ONE’s critically acclaimed North American debut, ONE Fight Night 10 on Prime Video.

That evening, Johnson secured his second-straight victory over ‘Mikinho’ to retain the title he captured nine months earlier.

But before Demetrious Johnson got the upper hand on Adriano Moraes, he came up short in their inaugural meeting at ONE on TNT 1 in April 2021.

“This is horrible technique by me I go in for a deep underhook exposing my chin and then he's able to land that knee and I get dropped and finished and it was a perfectly timed knee and he caught me coming in,” Johnson said while breaking down his first fight against Moraes on his YouTube channel.

“When I break the fight down, it's so frustrating because when you're fighting somebody, and I am the shorter athlete, and I'm trying to get to him, it takes forever. Especially when they go lateral, they can go lateral all day, and that's why it was so hard for me to get to him.”

It was the first knockout loss of Demetrious Johnson’s illustrious career, but in the end, it would be ‘Mighty Mouse’ who would have the last laugh.

16 months following their first meeting, Johnson would strike back with a highlight-reel knockout of his own to claim the flyweight world title.

‘Mighty Mouse’ would walk away with the series win in May 2023, securing a unanimous decision over Adriano Moraes in their entertaining trilogy bout inside the sold-out 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colorado.

Since then, neither man has returned to the Circle leaving fans to wonder if they will see the two flyweight icons go toe-to-toe again.