ONE Championship: Adriano Moraes eyes Yuya Wakamatsu, bantamweight move for 2022
- With a new contract signed, ONE flyweight champion is plotting a busy year
- Brazilian eyes top contenders and a potential move up a division – ‘I’m looking for big fights’
ONE flyweight champion Adriano Moraes is riding a career-changing win over Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson, and plans to keep his momentum going in 2022.
Brazil’s Moraes met Johnson – widely considered one of the greatest fighters of all time – in April. It was the champ’s first fight in more than two years, and he entered the cage as a significant underdog. Yet he ultimately pulled off a sizzling second-round knockout win to defend his belt.
In victory, he became just the third man to beat Johnson, and the first ever to finish the American with strikes.
“I worked hard for it,” the 32-year-old (19-3) told the Post, looking back on his victory over Johnson (30-3-1), who defended the UFC flyweight title 11 times before migrating to ONE. “When you work hard and have discipline, everything’s going to happen. It can take time, but it’s going to happen.”
With his win over Johnson shrinking in the rear-view mirror, Moraes is now looking ahead to his next fight.