ONE Flyweight World Champion Adriano “Mikinho” Moraes plans to show the world that he’s the most dominant athlete in ONE Championship today.
Moraes will defend his World Title against Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson in the main event of “ONE on TNT I,” which airs on Thursday, April 8, in Manila and simultaneously live on U.S. prime-time.
Moraes believes he has what it takes to give the highly touted American his first loss in Asia.
“For me, this is the best fight in the flyweight division in the world today,” Moraes told ONEFC.com.
“If you could have one flyweight in the world to fight against the legend — who can beat DJ in a good way — it’s me. I believe that.”
With all of Johnson’s achievements, and with how dominant he has remained in The Home Of Martial Arts, a lot of people believe Moraes is coming in as the underdog.
The 32-year-old Brazilian, however, doesn’t mind that status. In fact, he was actually rooting for Johnson to win the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix, knowing that a victory in the tournament would pit “Mighty Mouse” against him.
“DJ is famous, but I don’t care about that. I just try to focus on me, focus on my path, and do what I need to do to go there and have my hand raised,” he said.
“I was cheering for him to win the World Grand Prix [so I could] fight against him. You know his story — he was one of the best champions in one of the most famous organizations in the world.
“Of course, people are going to put me as the underdog, but I don’t care. Everyone has their own story, and I just keep creating mine.”
Moraes also knows that a win over Johnson would catapult him to new heights.
But for “Mikinho,” it’s much more than that – he also wants to show that ONE has always been the home of many great fighters.
“If I beat DJ, it is going to be really good for my career, for my team, and for my family. I think I’m ready for it,” he said.
“I’ve been in ONE Championship for eight years, and I am going to defend the ONE Championship flag. DJ has everything already, and he’s trying to cross my way. He’s gonna pay, that’s it.”
Watch “ONE on TNT I” on ONE Sports or ONE Sports+ live at 8:30 a.m. Philippine Standard Time (PHT) on Thursday, April 8.
Both ONE Sports and ONE Sports+ will have an encore showing at 8:30 p.m. PHT on Friday, 9 April. Also, there will be an encore showing on TV5 at 11 p.m. PHT on Saturday, April 10.
The event will also air live on the ONE Super App.