Adriano Moraes will step foot back onto the global stage for the first time since ONE Championship’s U.S. debut in 2023. The flyweight’s return match will be against a familiar foe, as he meets Danny Kingad at ONE 169: Malykhin vs. Reug Reug on Friday, November 8. “Mikinho” submitted Kingad in their first meeting in 2017; seven years later, he still sees a similar path to victory.
“In the first fight, I managed to take him down and work my jiu-jitsu well, so he knows that my jiu-jitsu is better than his. I’m sure he’s been working on his ground game a lot. But I believe that the ground game is his weak point, and the strongest part of my game is jiu-jitsu, without a doubt,” Moraes told ONE.
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What are the chances Adriano Moraes scores a KO in his rematch with Danny Kingad at ONE 169? @adrianomkmoraes#ONE169 | Nov 8 at 8PM ET
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Moraes understands this matchup to be a striker vs. grappler affair. He was exceedingly complimentary of Kingad’s striking game, although noting the clinch to be the weakest area of the Filipino. Still, Moraes wants to be prepared for all eventualities come November 8.
“His strong point is undoubtedly his striking. He combines wushu with kickboxing very well. He has very fast hands, hits the body, and head, and also has fast kicks to the legs, body and head. He is a very dynamic athlete in striking. He has some wrestling scrambles that are very characteristic of Team Lakay, his former team, so he defends well in jiu-jitsu. But that’s what I’m going to work on to counter-attack,” the Brazilian stated.
Moraes predicted the submission finish would come once again. It is an unsurprising prediction from the submission ace who once held the ONE Flyweight MMA World Championship. If he picks up the win, a title bid may be next.
With Demetrious Johnson’s retirement, the flyweight division has been reset. The throne is vacant. All the contenders are trying to make their play to be seen as next in line, and Moraes hopes ONE 169 will push him into the next title tilt so he can reclaim gold once more.
“There will be other fights between other contenders to see who will be able to fight for the belt. But I believe that if I win this fight, the next one will be for the belt,” Moraes said.
Although the door is wide open at flyweight, Moraes believes he knows who he could see opposite him for the vacant crown — Reece McLaren. It is a matchup that has eluded the Brazilian to date. While that want could be driving the prediction, Moraes still believes McLaren is ready for his shot at the title.
“I believe the next contender will be Reece McLaren. I want to face him because he is one of the only athletes in the rankings that I haven’t fought yet. We were supposed to fight in 2018, but it didn’t happen. He’s an athlete who’s been in ONE Championship for a long time, so I think he deserves to fight for the title as well. So I think that would be the fight to make,” Moraes commented.
ONE 169 airs live on Friday, November 8, on Prime Video. The action begins at 8 p.m. EST/5 p.m. PST. The event is free for all Amazon Prime subscribers based in the U.S. and Canada.
