ONE flyweight champ Adriano Moraes. ONE CHAMPIONSHIP PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines—It was the mother of all upsets as Adriano Moraes knocked out Demetrious Johnson to retain his ONE World flyweight championship in the ONE on TNT I card Thursday at Singapore Indoor Stadium.
Johnson, who is five inches shorter than the champion, was the aggressor for most of the fight and he continued pushing forward in the second while Moraes utilized his jab to maintain distance.
Moraes (19-3) then landed a quick right uppercut to send Johnson to the mat and it was there that the champion nailed a knee to the face of the challenger and knocking him out as referee Olivier Coste called a stop to the contest after Mikinho landed a few more punches from top position.
Grounded knees are LEGAL in ONE! 🔥 @adrianomkmoraes #WeAreONE #ONEChampionship #ONEonTNT pic.twitter.com/Gy0qRgvZvy
— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) April 8, 2021
This was the first time that Johnson (30-4), who is considered as the greatest mixed martial artist ever, was stopped in his fighting career.
Moraes’ win marked his second straight victory since reclaiming the title in January 2019 when he defeated Geje Eustaquio.
Adriano Moraes 🇧🇷 SHOCKS THE WORLD, becoming the first man to finish Demetrious Johnson! @adrianomkmoraes #WeAreONE #ONEChampionship #ONEonTNT pic.twitter.com/HhvlmwDwW6
— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) April 8, 2021
“I have to go back home and look at the fight, see when I made mistakes,” said Johnson post-fight. “Adriano is very long, big. It was hard trying to get to him. This is part of the game. You stay in this game long enough, this is bound to happen at some point, right?”
Though Moraes’ knee strike is considered illegal in the UFC, such a maneuver is allowed in ONE Championship and even Johnson advocated for its use before.
Johnson built his legacy on the back of his 11 title defenses in the UFC, the most in the promotion.