Demetrious Johnson To Train With Former Rival For Adriano Moraes Trilogy

In preparation for his upcoming trilogy bout against Adriano Moraes next year, Demetrious Johnson will be getting help from a bitter rival in former two-division UFC titleholder Henry Cejudo.

The third installment of the Johnson-Moraes will serve as the headlining bout for ONE on Prime Video 10 this coming May 5th at the 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colorado— the Singapore-based promotion's debut event in the United States.

The current ONE flyweight champion shared that he'll be working with Cejudo for his pre-camp before making a decision on when he'll be heading up to Colorado.

"I'm going back out to Arizona to get ready for my fight and do my pre-camp with Henry [Cejudo]," Johnson stated in a recent interview. "After that, I'm going to sit down with the wife and do two weeks out there and see if it makes a difference."

Johnson and Cejudo, of course, have quite a bit of history between them.

Back in 2016 when Johnson was the UFC's reigning flyweight king, he successfully defended the title against Cejudo by TKO.

Two years later, the two squared off again, and this time, it was Cejudo who left with the controversial decision win and became the first person to defeat Johnson for the flyweight title.

That would ultimately be Johnson's final bout with the UFC as he would make his ONE Championship debut a year later after being involved in the mixed martial arts world's first-ever trade.

Since then, Johnson and Cejudo have buried the hatchet and developed a friendly relationship.

Now in ONE Championship, Johnson has found himself in the middle of a heated rivalry once again, this time against former longtime flyweight kingpin Moraes, who will be looking to regain his title in 2023.

The two flyweight stars first crossed paths at ONE on TNT back in April 2021, with the Moraes pulling off arguably the biggest upset in the organization's history by knocking "Mighty Mouse" out with a well-placed knee.

Johnson returned the favor at ONE on Prime Video 1 back when he knocked Moraes out with a knee of his own to finally capture the flyweight crown.

Now, the two meet once more, with everything on the line.

"He's been here before and that's the biggest thing that I see," Johnson said of Moraes, who's lost the ONE flyweight title twice before, but has found a way to get it back both times.

"You look at Geje Eustaquio and Kairat Akhmetov. [Moraes is] used to this. He's used to losing the belt and then getting the opportunity to get it back – and he usually gets it back."

For his part, Johnson shared that his game plan is to push the pace and pressure Moraes, just like he did in their last outing.

"Just go out there and fight. That's my game plan. Go out there and get on his ass like last time," he stressed.

In the third and perhaps final bout of their grueling rivalry, Moraes won't be the only obstacle that Johnson will be dealing with.

"Mighty Mouse" will also be dealing with Colorado's high altitude, which can be a major factor, especially for those who come ill-prepared.

At this stage of his career, Johnson feels that he knows how to intelligently approach the situation.

"Now, being 36, I understand how to fight and how to pace myself while pushing the pace," he explained.

In terms of the infamous Colorado altitude, Johnson assures that he isn't too concerned about it.

"We haven't crossed that bridge yet. I'm still trying to figure it out, [but] I'm not too worried about it. I'm gonna train my ass off and go out there and fight," he concluded.