Now tied at one win apiece, Geje “Gravity” Eustaquio is looking to put an end on his rivalry with Adriano “Mikinho” Moraes by having his hand raised in their highly-anticipated rubber match.
Both men are slated to collide for the ONE Flyweight World Title in the main event of ONE: Hero’s Ascent, which takes place at the Mall Of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines on Jan. 25.
Eustaquio and Moraes stood opposite each other for the first time at ONE: Rise of the Kingdom in September 2014 when the two collided for the inaugural ONE Flyweight World Championship.
Moraes derailed Eustaquio’s championship aspirations as he found a way to counteract his opponent’s striking prowess in the second round and then forced the Team Lakay representative to wave the white flag with a guillotine choke.
Eustaquio admitted that it was a tough defeat to digest, but he pointed out that he took a lot away from it by viewing it as a learning curve.
“That loss has taught me a lot. Ever since then, I have worked extensively in improving in all areas,” he said.
“I have worked extremely hard to get to this point because deep inside, I knew we would meet again.”
Eustaquio settled the score in their rematch at ONE: Pinnacle of Power last June, defeating Moraes by way of razor-thin split decision to become the be crowned as the ONE Flyweight World Champion.
“In our rematch last June, I was able to execute my game plan properly and defended his grappling effectively. I was also able to score some takedowns on my own, which I know surprised him and confused him,” he stated.
“I learned a lot from my previous wars and that brought me to victory.”
Now, “Gravity” has the chance to close his saga with Moraes, and a victory over his Brazilian arch-nemesis would solidify his case as the best flyweight in the world.
“It is the biggest of my career, no doubt. I am treating this bout as the most significant of my time as a professional mixed martial artist, but because of my hard work and preparations, all that is left is to give the performance of a lifetime,” Eustaquio declared.”‹
