Adriano Moraes was in town for ONE Championship’s press conference in Los Angeles yesterday. The Brazilian will headline the first ever event on Amazon Prime and is excited to see the promotion making headway in his adopted home.
Moraes has been based in the US for seven years and teaches and trains at American Top Team in Florida. He beat Demetrious Johnson last year in an event that was broadcast live on TNT in the US.
At ONE on Prime Video 1 he faces Johnson in a rematch that will be broadcast in the US and Canada by Amazon Prime. For Moraes this is exciting because he wants to gain new American fans,
“I have been an ATT athlete for seven years. I have lived in the United States for seven years. It is already my second home. They welcomed me very well here and I have a lot of fans here in America.”
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Long term
ONE Championship and Amazon Prime appear to have a long term deal. There are five events booked between now and the end of the year and Moraes is excited to be headlining the first one,
“I believe this partnership between ONE and Prime Video will be fantastic for MMA fans and everyone who loves martial arts. And for me, it will be an honor to (compete in) the main event on the first Prime Video broadcast. I am very grateful once again.”
He is not just thinking about defending his flyweight title and beating the best fighter in the history of the division for the second time. Moraes believes he can become the face of the sport,
“I’m a very disciplined MMA and jiu-jitsu athlete, and that’s why I believe I can be the new face of MMA in the United States. I am always waiting for new opportunities, and I always ask God to show me the way. If that’s his will, I’ll take it, for sure.”
Adriano Moraes 🇧🇷 SHOCKS THE WORLD, becoming the first man to finish Demetrious Johnson! @adrianomkmoraes #WeAreONE #ONEChampionship #ONEonTNT pic.twitter.com/HhvlmwDwW6
— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) April 8, 2021
Major upset
The first finish over Adriano Moraes was unexpected. Fans had expected the former UFC flyweight to run through the competition en route to winning the ONE Championship title but it didn’t pan out like that.
The fight was broadcast live on US prime time by TNT which meant the shockwaves from Moraes’ win spread rapidly across social media. Were the Brazilian to prevail in the rematch it would be less of a surprise but there will be plenty of people watching in the US.
Moraes knows his opponent is capable of adapting. He expects Johnson to have made adjustments ahead of the rematch but is still very confident he can finish the former UFC flyweight champion,
“Demetrious Johnson is a very smart guy, very tough, and I know he’s coming in very hungry for this rematch. I’m training a lot. I want to show my evolution as an athlete, so I believe I can get a submission in the fourth round.”
