Demetrious Johnson Does not Feel Added Pressure In Adriano Moraes Rematch

ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix Champion Demetrious Johnson will have an opportunity to add another world title to his impressive collection. However, achieving that feat won’t be easy because his opponent, ONE Flyweight World Champion Adriano Moraes, has already beaten Johnson by KO.

Still, “Mighty Mouse” will have an opportunity to avenge the first knockout loss of his career at ONE Fight Night 1: Moraes vs. Johnson II on 27 August at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

It will be the first time Johnson competes under MMA rules since his super-fight with Rodtang Jitmuangnon in March. However, he doesn’t feel any additional pressure for the upcoming contest against Moraes. He will treat the title fight just like any contest he has had in the past by preparing hard and giving his best.

“As an athlete, it’s always just a fight for me. My responsibility is to go out there and put on a show, and I’ve always done that in each of my fights,” Johnson said during the press conference for ONE Fight Night 1 at The Novo in Los Angeles, California.

“I always go out there, push the pace, take the fight wherever I need to, whether on the ground, on the feet, [or inside the] clinch. So, I should go out there and perform like I always do and take it to him.”

But for Johnson to win this time, he must keep an eye on Moraes’ striking power to prevent the same result from happening. In their first encounter, the Brazilian titleholder scored a second-round knockout by landing a knee on Johnson’s face. Moraes followed it up with heavy punches before the referee called an end to the fight.

The AMC Pankration and Evolve MMA representative thought he would be back to square one if he wanted another shot at the ONE Flyweight World Championship. But now that he has been given another chance to compete for the crown, Johnson will not let this opportunity go to waste.

“They offered me this fight, which came out of the blue. I thought I would go down the ladder and work my way back up, which I’m absolutely fine with. But they came with this, and so, alright, we’ll go out there again,” he said.

Aside from Moraes vs. Johnson II, ONE Fight Night 1 will also feature the ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Championship bout between current titleholder Nong-O Gaiyanghadao and British challenger Liam Harrison. ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon will also face Savvas Michael in the semifinals of the ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Grand Prix.

Download the ONE Super app and visit ONEFC.com to stay updated with the latest news on ONE Fight Night 1. You can also buy tickets to ONE Fight Night 1 on onefc.com/tickets.

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