Adriano Moraes may be most famous for the knee which knocked out the greatest flyweight of all time, Demetrious Johnson, but that was only one title defense of the well-rounded Brazilian veteran’s three different reigns as ONE Championship belt-holder.
Mikinho Fight Week!!!
#MMA pic.twitter.com/ijoqKUrWcp— Violent Money TV (@ViolentMoneyTV) May 1, 2023
Knocking out ‘Mighty Mouse’ certainly launched him to the stratosphere in popularity, but Moraes is still plugging away in the gym these four years later, just focused on being one of the best in the world, which regaining his throne for a fourth time would prove.
He will foray into enemy territory as he fights in his opponent Yuya Wakamatsu’s home country of Japan. Having beaten this foe once before, ‘Mikinho’ is supremely confident in his victory on Sunday.
“I think he knows about my weapons. You know? He knows about my jiu jitsu. You know?” Adriano said. “He can grapple with me and give me some opportunity. I think he’s gonna come for this fight really ready. So I’m trying to change a little bit, but of course my focus is always to finish the fight. I’m like to see myself as a finisher, so I’m gonna try to wait [for him to make a] mistake and give him some opportunity. And I’m gonna enjoy it.”
Despite going into enemy territory on March 23rd, Moraes is not worried about the fan reception as Japanese fans are always welcoming, he says.
“Japanese people, they always welcome [you],” Adriano told me. “Especially because I’m training with some good Japanese. So I have a lot of Japanese friends, and I think they’re gonna be good with me for sure. I know I gonna fight his home hero, but I’m a Brazilian guy that fights in an Asian promotion… So, for me, it’s it’s normal. I go to fight Wakamatsu in his hometown, and I’m gonna destroy him. And that’s gonna be normal because I always do that, and I hope my Japanese fans will understand.”
Moraes may be as respectful as they come to all opponents, but his quiet confidence comes to the forefront whenever he talks about his fights, such as when saying he will destroy Wakamatsu.
“I’m like to see myself as a finisher,” he added when asked how he gets the job done on Sunday. “I wanna win for sure, but I wanna I wanna win in a good way. So I’ll try to push myself in the gym, to go [to Japan] and put in a show, and that’s what I gonna do.”
With his last three wins coming via finish over top contenders, Moraes can back up those fighting words. Further, in his long, 26-fight pro MMA career Adriano has only needed the judges help to declare him the winner six times.
In such a storied career, fighters will face notable foes from all over the world, yet in his first professional fight Adriano was already fighting a future top prospect, Ismael Bonfim, who now fights four weight classes higher than ‘Mikinho’.
I asked him about this coincidence, two top fighters facing each other before anyone knew how good they would be, and asked if he has kept up with the elder Bonfim brother in the years since that fight.
“Yes, I fought against him. It was my first MMA fight,” Adriano recalled. “He was pretty young, but he was already active. So I think I was 22 years old, he was just 18. I remember it was six three kilos catch weight. We weighed in on in the five day, and man, I’m so happy for him. You know? Right now, he’s in UFC. He’s doing great. His journey, you know, making his money, helping his family. Now he has a a nice team in my in my hometown, Brasilia, in São Sebastião. The name is Bonfim Brothers, him and his brother. And I’m just very happy for him, you know, because he achieved his dream. He got his time. He’s young. And I think he he gonna show much much more his skill. He’s a great fighter, he has heart… I’m just glad he achieved his dream to gave one of the greatest platforms in the world to showcase his skills like UFC. And let’s see, man. Let’s see. I cheer for him to win for sure.”
Adriano also takes confidence for this fight from his training partners; he spars and rolls with some of the best flyweights in the world on a daily basis, and even hones his skills against bigger fighters.
“I’m training here in American Top Team. I think I already trained with the greatest guys in the world,” Moraes asserted. “Mateusz Gamrot, and Renato Moicano is one of my buddies here. Kyoji Horiguchi is the RIZIN champion. Alexandre Pantoja, he’s UFC champion. They’re all my teammates — Thiago Moises. Man, a bunch of them. You know?”
Adriano does not appear to see a way he can lose this fight. Being in a familiar position, fighting far from home, he is ready to bring back the belt he has already worn around his waist three times before.
ONE 172 takes place Sunday, March 23rd, 2025 at 4am Japanese Standard Time, live on ONE Championship pay-per-view from Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.
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