Ahead Of U.S. Debut, Adriano Moraes Believes He Can Be 'Face Of MMA' In America

Adriano Moraes has in front of him not only the biggest fight of his career, but also quite possibly the biggest bout in the history of ONE Championship.

Moraes will be headlining ONE Championship's debut event in the United States when he challenges reigning and defending flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson at ONE Fight Night 10, which happens this coming May 5th at the 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colorado.

This will be the highly-anticipated rubber match between Moraes and Johnson, a rivalry that has fans and experts invested since it began in April 2019.

In their first encounter, Moraes stunned the world by knocking out Johnson, who was then pegged as the best flyweight mixed martial artist.

Johnson further backed that claim up in their August 2022 rematch by knocking Moraes out and evening the series up while also capturing the ONE flyweight crown.

In this upcoming third meeting, the stakes have never been higher, especially since this will be ONE Championship's maiden venture on American soil.

Surprisingly enough, this will also be Moraes' United States debut as well.

The native of Manaus, Brazil has only competed in Brazil and Asia, but he confidently calls the United States his second home. That's because Moraes lives and trains in the United States.

"I have been an ATT (American Top Team) athlete for nearly a decade. I have lived in the United States for a long time. It is already my second home," Moraes shared in a recent interview. "They welcomed me very well here, and I have a lot of fans here in America."

This is also one of the reasons why, ahead of his impending "official" introduction to the American MMA market, Moraes believes that he can be the new poster boy for the sport in the United States.

"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," Moraes said confidently. "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."

It's hard to deny Moraes' status in ONE Championship as one of the promotion's biggest stars and pioneers.

Moraes made his ONE Championship debut back in 20i3 when the organization was just 12 events in.

Now, ONE Championship is a global powerhouse in the combat sports world, and it's only fitting to have one of its earliest stars compete on arguably the company's most important card.

Moraes himself sees the opportunity to compete in the U.S. as an honor.

"I always believed that this partnership between ONE and Prime Video would be fantastic for MMA fans and everyone who loves martial arts," Moraes starf. "For me, it will be an honor to [compete in] the main event on the card in the United States and it will be broadcast on Prime Video."

"I am very grateful once again."

While the magnitude of the event is indeed something that Moraes is soaking in, it isn't lost on "Mikhino" that he has a daunting task ahead of him in the form of a rubber match with Johnson.

"Demetrious Johnson is a very smart guy, very tough, and I know he's coming into this fight with the best version of himself," Moraes bared.

"I'm training a lot. I want to show my evolution as an athlete. I believe I can get the win and the finish in this third fight against him."