Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson exacted sweet revenge on Adriano Moraes to knock out his former nemesis and capture the ONE flyweight title in Singapore.
The bout headlined ONE on Prime Video 1, the promotion’s first event of a major new US rights deal with the global ecommerce and streaming giants Amazon, and the event delivered a spectacular finale as Johnson gained revenge on Moraes to add the ONE title to his lengthy list of MMA accolades.
Moraes won the first encounter between the pair when he knocked out Johnson with knees on the ground – a technique banned under the Unified Rules of MMA used by Johnson’s previous promotion the UFC, but completely legal under ONE’s Global Ruleset – as the former UFC flyweight champion’s first tilt at the ONE title fell short last year.
But Johnson came back in spectacular style in the rematch to finish “Mikinho” in the fourth round and end the reign of the three-time champion with a stunning knockout.
The sequence was as fast as it was decisive. A big right hand badly wobbled Moraes, who staggered backward. But Johnson would not let his man escape, and immediately followed up with a huge flying knee to the chin with his man against the cage.
Johnson knew the instant the knee landed that the fight was over, and turned away to claim a spectacular walk-off knockout victory.
The co-main event saw ONE bantamweight Muay Thai champion Nong-O Gaiyanghadao retain his title with a first-round stoppage of England’s Liam Harrison, while Panpayak Jitmuangnon and Superlek Kiatmoo9 both earned themselves a place in the ONE bantamweight Muay Thai grand prix final with impressive knockout finishes.
Panpayak stepped in from his originally scheduled assignment as a tournament alternate to replace Rodtang Jitmuangnon, who was forced off the card on Thursday. Panpayak didn’t miss a beat, however, as he finished Savvas Michael via second-round head-kick KO. Superlek, meanwhile, punched his ticket to the final, and a meeting with Panpayak, with a first-round elbow finish of Walter Goncalves in the featured bout of the lead card.
Elsewhere on the fight card, Jiu-jitsu ace-turned-MMA contender Marcus “Buchecha” Almeida continued his rise up the ONE heavyweight ranks with a first-round heel-hook submission of Kirill Grishenko, while another heavyweight, Iranian wrestler Amir Aliakbari, got the job done with his elbows as he finished Italy’s Mauro Cerilli.
There were also victories for Australia’s Diandra Martin, who defeated Amber Kitchen via unanimous decision in their Muay Thai matchup, and for Japan’s Itsuki Hirata, who outpointed China’s Lin Hequin in their MMA-rules bout. They followed a spectacular opening bout that saw former ONE welterweight champion Zebaztian Kadestam finish former title contender Iuri Lapicus in just 57 seconds with a vicious walk-off uppercut KO.
ONE on Prime Video 1: Official Results
MAIN CARD
- Demetrious Johnson def. Adriano Moraes via knockout (knee) – Round 4, 3:50 – for flyweight title
- Nong-O Gaiyanghadao def. Liam Harrison via TKO (leg kick) – Round 1, 2:10 – for bantamweight Muay Thai title
- Panpayak Jitmuangnon def. Savvas Michael via knockout (head kick) – Round 2, 0:10 – flyweight Muay Thai grand prix semi-final
- Marcus Almeida def. Kirill Grishenko via submission (heel hook) – Round 1, 1:04
- Amir Aliakbari def. Mauro Cerilli via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 4:02
LEAD CARD
- Superlek Kiatmoo9 def. Walter Goncalves via knockout (elbow) – Round 1, 1:35 – flyweight Muay Thai grand prix semi-final
- Diandra Martin def. Amber Kitchen via unanimous decision – Muay Thai bout
- Itsuki Hirata def. Lin Hequin via unanimous decision
- Zebaztian Kadestam def. Iuri Lapicus via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 0:57
