Adriano Moraes. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines—Having the crowd against him on Friday is not a concern at all for veteran Brazilian fighter Adriano Moraes.
If anything, he thinks it could affect hometown best Geje Eustaquio more when they face off in the main event of ONE: Hero’s Ascent at Mall of Asia Arena.
“The [crowd] doesn’t affect me. It’s gonna affect him. The pressure is on him,” said Moraes on Tuesday after the press conference at City of Dreams Manila.
Moraes is familiar with the Filipino fans’ intensity, having fought Team Lakay’s Danny Kingad at the same venue in 2017 in the co-main event. He successfully defended the flyweight belt with a submission win.
But this time, Moraes will be facing Eustaquio for the third straight time to recapture that belt and prove that he’s the real winner of the trilogy—insisting that he had won the first two bouts.
While he recognizes that Eustaquio is a deserving competitor, Moraes is nothing but confident of his skills.
“Geje is very hungry and he’s a great fight. But I’m hungry too and I’m a very good fighter from the best gym in the world,” he said.
They face off for what could be the final time in the main event of ONE’s first fight night in Manila for the year.