ONE Championship’s biggest stars have drawn a line through the main event of ONE Fight Night 10: Johnson vs. Moraes III, and standing on the winner’s side – according to most of them – is Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson.
The ONE Flyweight World Champion defends his strap against top-ranked Adriano “Mikinho” Moraes in the evening’s headliner, as ONE breaks ground in the United States at the sold-out 1stBank Center in Colorado this Saturday morning, 6 May.
While not totally discounting Moraes’ chances of winning, the biggest names in The Home of Martial Arts favor Johnson to retain the strap, starting with ONE Bantamweight World Champion Fabricio “Wonder Boy” Andrade.
“It will be a great fight, a fight that will sell a lot. But seeing the last fight, I think Demetrious Johnson proved he’s a better athlete than Adriano Moraes,” Andrade said.
“However, Adriano is a very big guy for the division and he can surprise [Johnson], as he did the first time they faced each other. DJ needs to stay tuned [in], but I believe he will come out the winner in this trilogy.”
Former two-sport ONE World Champion Stamp Fairtex likewise sees the fight for Johnson, though she doesn’t see the American finishing Moraes this time around.
“I want to watch the Demetrious Johnson vs. Adriano Moraes fight. They took turns winning and losing. Both of them got knocked out with knees. This time, I think DJ will be the one [to win],” Stamp said.
“But he may win by decision, not by a finish, because both of them have experience and know each other very well.”
While the majority of the fighters favor Johnson, there are some who believe Moraes will pull off another shocker, including former World Champion John “Hands of Stone” Lineker.
Lineker believes that Moraes’ ability to utilize his length and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu will be enough for him to get that historic trilogy win over the greatest of all time.
“I believe in a victory for Adriano Moraes. He has a better ground game than Demetrious Johnson,” he said.
“I believe he will work well from a distance since he has a bigger wingspan, and he won’t let DJ dominate the center of the Circle. My bet is that Adriano Moraes will take down DJ and win this trilogy by submission.”
Filipino fight fans can enjoy the action from ONE Fight Night 10 on Saturday, 6 May, at 8:00 AM on watch.onefc.com as well as on One Sports and One Sports+.