By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) living legend Demetrius “Mighty Mouse” Johnson finally got his shot at redemption as he faces defending ONE Championship flyweight king Adriano Moraes for the second time at ONE Fight Night 1.
“It’s another tough fight. He’s a great athlete. He always comes prepared. He’s always in great condition. And then on that day, I’m just going to go out there and fight and see what happens,” Johnson said.
Ultimate Fighting Championship’s (UFC) former no.1 pound-for-pound fighter dropped his first encounter against Moraes last April 2021 where he suffered his first-ever knockout loss in his professional career.
Moraes caught Johnson with a sneaky left knee after establishing an on-top mounting position and finished the bout with a four-hit ground and pound combination that forced the referee to stop the fight at the 2:41 mark of the second round.
It was a dramatic ending for Moraes after Johnson was leading slightly on the score cards, out-hitting the champion with his in-and-out jabs and efficient leg kicks.
However, once Moraes took it to the ground, Johnson found trouble fending off his takedown attempts and got caught with a quick left knee that set up the fatal ground and pound attack.
Instead of thinking too much about his knockout loss, Johnson will be having a different mindset heading into their main event clash.
“There’s no reason to ruin your mental state, your mental capacity. I know I trained hard. I know I’m one of the best fighters in the world. I know that, and it’s never going to change because I put in the work and I’m always willing to learn,” Johnson added.
The Brazilian champion on the other hand is coming off an impressive guillotine choke submission win against Yuya Wakamatsu last March 6, 2022 to successfully defend his belt.
If Moraes will sweep his rivalry series with Johnson, he will then extend his winning streak to three and will go down as one of the best flyweight champions of ONE.
