"I'm looking forward to that one" — Demetrious Johnson pumped to see old foes Adriano Moraes and Yuya Wakamatsu fight at ONE X

At ONE X, two former opponents of Demetrious Johnson will battle for the flyweight world championship in Adriano Moraes vs. Yuya Wakamatsu.

The all-time MMA great Demetrious Johnson is familiar with both combatants. He has one submission win over Wakamatsu and one knockout loss to Moraes. In an interview with ONE Championship, he said:

"That's gonna be a sick fight. I think Yuya Wakamatsu absolutely deserves this title shot... He's what, on a four-fight win streak, right?... The guy is, he's great. You know he's very, very good on the feet, very fast, and has the power. And Adriano, you know the undefeated king in the flyweight division. I think it's going to be a great fight. I'm looking forward to it."

On March 26 who does Johnson foresee winning this championship fight, and can the challenger win the title? He said:

"I think Yuya Wakamatsu can absolutely get the job done because I feel Yuya moves better on his feet. He has a better rhythm... Adriano has that slick ground game. And Adriano is very patient about how he goes about beating his opponents. And I think so is Yuya Wakamatsu. I think Adriano is going to have the ground advantage so it's going to be an exciting fight. I'm looking forward to that one."

ONE X will host the flyweight championship between Moraes vs. Wakamatsu while Johnson will face Rodtang, the Muay Thai flyweight world champion.

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"It’s Like Batman Fighting Superman" - Demetrious Johnson on fighting Rodtang

Demetrious Johnson will be in a challenging position at ONE X. The former champion will fight in a special rules bout against Rodtang.

This March 26 fight will mix Muay Thai and MMA rounds. In an interview with ONE Championship, Johnson said:

“When I sit down and think about this fight, for the first and third round it’s basically like Batman fighting Superman, and he knows he has a kryptonite ring. In the second and fourth round, he gets to use it, but he’s only got three minutes!"

Rodtang will certainly have an advantage during the Muay Thai rounds, but Demetrious Johnson sees himself having a major advantage during the MMA rounds. He explained:

“I’ve got three minutes to put this guy away. So do I think he can take a flush knee to the face? Absolutely. Do I think he can hold his breath underwater if I cut off his blood supply to his brain? Probably not. But like I said, I plan on mixing it up and just going out there and fighting.”

Over 2020 and 2021, Rodtang accumulated a Muay Thai record of seven wins and one loss. In this same time, Demetrious Johnson also had one loss.