The day has finally arrived and ONE Championship is on U.S. soil for the first time in company history. And all eyes are on the massive ONE flyweight world championship main event between Demetrious Johnson and Adriano Moraes.
That includes top stars from around the world. Some of the biggest names in martial arts weighed in with ONE on who they thought would get the deciding victory in the trilogy.
“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. 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,” Fabricio Andrade said.
“I think as close as it’s going to be, I have to go with Demetrious. It’s so hard to pick. They’re both so awesome. And they’re both such nice guys, too. It’s hard picking one because I like both of them so much. But yeah, Demetrious. He’s just next-level, world-class, and he’s got the rungs on the board,” John Wayne Parr said.
“Man, I love both guys. I just don’t know, either. You really don’t know now. Because now, it’s 1-1. So yeah, I’m going to sit on the fence for this one because I love both guys,” said Martin Nguyen.
“In my mind, I’m hoping it’s the Demetrious Johnson of old. I think that he was one of the best, if not the best, fighters ever in the world in his day. I’m hoping he’s getting back to what he does. He has incredible reaction time, and he is such a nice gentleman, so that’d be my pick – the Demetrious Johnson that I used to watch and love,” Mike Winkeljohn said.
“I believe in a victory for Adriano Moraes. He has a better ground game than Demetrious Johnson. 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,” stated John Lineker.
But those who are competing are at the event itself are also chiming in ahead of the trilogy bout. The stars of ONE Fight Night 10 are just as intrigued as everyone else. Johnson vs. Moraes has been a sensational set of bouts and all of the athletes will be locked in when the Circle door closes.
“I want to watch the Demetrious Johnson vs. Adriano Moraes fight. They take turns winning and losing. The similarity is that both of them got knocked out with knees. This time, I think DJ will be the one [to win]. But he may win by decision, not by a finish, because both of them have experience and know each other very well,” predicted Stamp Fairtex.
“This fight is, like always, 50-50. I don’t know. It’s really hard. I’m thinking DJ a little bit, because I see a chance for him. But Adriano is also motivated, and he is tall. A really different opponent. He is good everywhere too. I cannot say, really. I’m excited about this one too. It’s going to be a good fight. A high-level fight,” Roberto Soldic said.
“The odds are 50/50. They both beat each other and looked dominant as winners. Moraes knocked Johnson out in the first fight, then Johnson paid him back handsomely in the second fight. Now, both opponents already know each other. They are well prepared. Their chances are equal,” posited flyweight contender Kairat Akhmetov.
“With DJ, he’s the GOAT. So, I’m super excited about that, and I’m going to have to back DJ because I’m a huge fan of his. I’m also a huge fan of Adriano. They’ve both proven they’re the best of the best. But being an American and being more familiar with DJ, I will have to back him. But I will say, trilogy fight, they’re 1-1. This is also a fight that can truly go either way, and I don’t think it’ll be a shock if it goes to one or the other,” Jackie Buntan said.
“I think DJ, ‘Mighty Mouse,’ is going to take it. I like ‘Mighty Mouse.’ No more explanations. He’s a legend, a living legend,” Ahmed Mujtaba emphatically stated.
“In their first match, Demetrious Johnson seemed naive about the grounded knee rule. So, if you look at the second match, he was in good shape because he got entirely used to the grounded knee rule and prepared so well. Of course, Moraes is also a great fighter, but I think Johnson’s fight IQ is really high, so I think he will come out better prepared and upgraded,” Ok Rae Yoon said.
ONE Fight Night 10 airs live and free on Prime Video on Friday, May 5. The event begins at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT and it free for all Amazon Prime subscribers based in the U.S. and Canada.