Adriano Moraes rematches old foe at ONE 169: Atlanta
Adriano Moraes is one of the most decorated fighters on the ONE Championship roster. “Mikinho” has been a staple of the promotion’s talent-rich flyweight MMA division since making his debut way back in 2013.
During that time, the well-rounded Brazilian star has amassed 16 appearances in the Circle. More importantly, however, his glittering run has yielded a staggering eight ONE Flyweight MMA World Titles.
The Brazilian hasn’t been seen since a pulsating ONE Fight Night 10 main event contest with longtime rival and current flyweight MMA king Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson in May 2023.
He came up short in a razor-thin unanimous decision that night, closing out the trilogy between the pair and, ultimately, missing out on a ninth World Title reign.
In recent months, however, Moraes has been hinting that a return to competition was imminent. Now, the cat is out of the bag, and Moraes is set to kick off another push toward getting his old 26-pound gold belt back.
Moraes is set to face the No.3 ranked divisional contender Danny Kingad in a high-stakes rematch at ONE 169: Atlanta.
The stacked November 8 card is set to light up the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, as ONE returns to American soil for the second time in 2024.
The pair previously clashed back in 2017, when Moraes successfully defended his flyweight MMA crown against the Filipino with the end coming via rear-naked choke submission in the opening round.
Kingad is also a perennial flyweight MMA contender, having been a part of the division since 2016. After his loss to Moraes, the Lions Nation MMA representative reeled off six-straight wins over elite competition before falling to Johnson in the ONE flyweight MMA world grand prix final.
Still only 28 years old, he remains among the division’s top stars, and a win over Moraes will do his chances of securing an elusive second crack at the ONE flyweight MMA world title no harm.
For Moraes, however, a second win over another top five rival would most likely cement his place at the front of the queue for the next world title opportunity. The gold is still held by Johnson, although the American legend remains undecided on his fighting future.
