Adriano Moraes is nearing the end of his long standing as a key player in the ONE Championship title picture.
Moraes (20-4), who became ONE’s first flyweight champion in 2014, is preparing for another title fight with the promotion. This would likely be the biggest of his career.
On May 5, Moraes will attempt to regain the title in a highly anticipated three-way match against champion Demetrius Johnson in the main event of ONE Fight Night 10 in Broomfield, Colo. Nearly a decade after winning the belt for the first time, Moraes sees this as the final push.
“I think this will be my last attempt at the belt. I don’t know, so I’m going to give it my all inside the cage,” Moraes told MMA Junkie. “The next fight is the most important. My next fight is against Demetrius Johnson again. I never cared about the opponent. I never pick. I always like to get crushed, and this fight will be no different. May 5th, I got my belt back.”
Moraes and Johnson (31-4-1) fought for the first time in 2021, when Moraes defended his belt with a knee knockout of the former UFC champ. Johnson avenged the loss in 2022 and Moraes also got out of the knee.
The Brazilian believes that the second defeat will mark the end of his championship career, but not his fighting career.
“I have been at the helm of the ONE Championship for a long time, fighting for the belt,” said Moraes. “I think I’m eight years old fighting five rounds, fighting for the ONE Championship belt. Depending on the outcome, I really want to get my belt back and stay top of the division, but other than that, I really want to do super fights. We have other majors in the ONE Championship. Let’s We see what the future holds for us, but for now it’s kill or be killed.”
With the title, the dissolution of the biggest competition of his career, and his future as a title contender, this moment can add tremendous stress to any athlete. Moraes takes it as part of the job and only focuses on the performance, not the outcome.
“I like that kind of pressure, but it’s not pressure, it’s just life,” Moraes said. “I think in my career, I’ve been doing this for a long time — wins and losses happen to us constantly. I just want to go out there and do my job and do a show for the fans and show the power of the ONE Championship in the United States.”