Not many people sided with ONE Flyweight World Champion Adriano “Mikinho” Moraes in his clash with 12-time World Champion Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson despite owning the division for the longest time.
Now, there aren’t many people who doubt him.
“Mikinho” scored a career-defining victory after taking a second-round TKO win in the main event of “ONE on TNT I“ on Thursday, April 8, at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
A short right uppercut midway through the second round turned out to be the beginning of the end for Johnson, as Moraes floored him with that shot before following it up with a left knee that shut the lights off for “Mighty Mouse.”
With Moraes landing more clean punches, the referee had no other choice but to end the bout at the 2:24 mark, giving the American Top Team standout the distinction as the first person to finish the great Johnson.
“This is a dream come true. I work hard in the gym everyday. I can’t describe this moment. I have no words. We did it! We did it!” an ecstatic Moraes told the ONE Championship commentary team after the bout.
“I grew up watching DJ fight. He’s a legend. He’s a grappler like me, but me and my team had the perfect strategy to fight against him. I got him with a good uppercut, and I really don’t know what to say. I’m just so excited.”
Moraes improved to 19-3 and showed that this is indeed the division’s best, as he’s now 7-2 in World Title bouts in the promotion.
Despite losing in ONE for the first time, Johnson remained classy.
“It’s part of the game,” Johnson said. “You’re in the game for so long, it’s bound to happen one of these days, right?
“He did a good job keeping the range and distance. He caught me slipping and was able to catch me.”
In the final bout of the evening, ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion Rodtang “The Iron Man” Jitmuangnon and “Mini T” Danial Williams put on a show for fans, with Rodtang scoring a unanimous decision win in their three-round catch weight Muay Thai bout.
Eddie “The Underground King” Alvarez, on the other hand, got disqualified after landing illegal blows to Iuri Lapicus in the first round of their lightweight clash, giving the win to the Moldovan.
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