Johnson-Moraes trilogy fight set to headline ONE FC’s US debut

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

One of the biggest trilogies in the history of ONE Fighting Championship will finally take place on May 6, 2023.

After a 1-1 split between reigning flyweight champion Demetrius “Mighty Mouse” Johnson and former belt holder Adriano Moraes, the two superstars will settle their rivalry for one last time inside the ONE cage.

The third and final fight between Johnson and Moraes will also highlight ONE FC’s debut in the United States to be held at the 1STBANK Center in Broomfield, Colorado.

It was last year when the heavily-favored Johnson accepted the challenge to dethrone Moraes as ONE’s flyweight king but in a stunning turn of events, the former UFC king suffered his first-ever stoppage loss in his professional MMA career.

During the 2:50 mark of their first fight, Moraes tagged Johnson with a counter right uppercut and finished him with a devastating left knee to the head which forced the referee to stop the bout.

However, Johnson got an immediate rematch and bounced back huge after knocking out Moraes in the fourth round.

Johnson unleashed a quick fainting right straight that wobbled Moraes at the 1:09 mark of the round. After the Brazilian fighter stayed in the corner of the cage to avoid more punches, Johnson well-timed a high left knee that sealed the deal and equalized their rivalry at 1-1.

This has been one of the most interesting matchups in ONE history as Moraes matched well with Johnson’s technical approach of hitting and baiting opponents.

However, Johnson showed vast improvements in his stand-up defense which prevented Moraes from swarming him with 1-2 punch combinations during their second encounter.

Who will be crowned as ONE’s flyweight king? Will Johnson retain his championship title or will Moraes get revenge and get back what was his?