Demetrious Johnson's Redemption Story
ONE Championship hosted another great night of fights from the Singapore Indoor Stadium. This was a momentous fight card because it was the first time that ONE Championship would be broadcast on Amazon Prime Video. This allowed more fans to see the fights live and further establish ONE Championship as a world-class MMA promotion and a global brand. This was the first fight card of many which will be broadcast on Amazon Prime Video, their upcoming schedule can be seen below.
The Main Event was the highly anticipated rematch for the Flyweight Title at 135 pounds between Adriano Moraes and Demetrious Johnson. Their first fight ended when Johnson got viciously knocked out by Moraes in Round 2 with a knee while on the ground, a legal strike in ONE Championship. Moraes remains the only fighter to ever knock out Johnson. This was a big upset when it happened and fight fans wondered if the rematch would be any different.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knwS8biP3RM
Johnson left the UFC as perhaps the greatest flyweight (125 pounds) ever in 2018 following a split decision loss to Henry Cejudo. He signed on with ONE Championship in 2019 and continues to be a legendary fighter. Since moving to ONE Championship, Johnson has only fought at 135 pounds and doesn’t plan on going back down to 125 pounds.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpHFULYs9tg (discusses it at about 20 minutes into the interview)
Known for his elite speed and quickness, Johnson can end a fight with a knockout or a submission. His record now stands at 31-4-1 with 6 wins by knockout, 12 by submission and 13 by decision. Moraes is an elite Brazilian flyweight (135 pounds) with a record of 20-4 with 4 wins by knockout, 10 by submission and 6 by decision. Moraes is 34, 5’8, 135 pounds with and has a 69 inch reach. Johnson is 36, 5’3, 135 pounds and has a 66 inch reach. Johnson is able to mitigate these physical disadvantages with speed, timing and accuracy.
During training camp for their rematch, Johnson really focused on technique and fundamentals instead of strength and conditioning. Johnson’s defense is also elite and he rarely gets caught clean because he can usually adjust to the other fighter’s movements. In his rematch against Moraes he looked faster, more explosive and technically superior to his opponent.
Fighting is a singular endeavor and sometimes a fighter’s greatest opponent can be himself. The redemption story is synonymous with a rematch. The dedication that fighters have to their craft separates the good from the elite. Demetrious Johnson has proven time and time again to be an elite fighter that is always improving and never satisfied. That is why in the twilight of his career at 36 years old, coming off a brutal knockout loss he still knows that there is greatness within him because he put in the hard hours in the gym in the lead up to this rematch. The mind and body have to work in concert, if not weaknesses will be exposed and the fighter will pay for the consequences.
Throughout history we’ve seen fighters take losses in different ways, some come back better, while others are changed forever. One example is Tony Ferguson who was never the same after getting beat down and stopped by Justin Gaethje during the course of 5 brutal Rounds. Fighters that have gotten better after losses are Demetrious Johnson, Glover Teixeira, Leon Edwards and Brian Ortega among others. They have the determination to have that loss fuel them so they can improve for their next fight. That’s exactly what Johnson did for his rematch with Moraes. The improvements were evident and the performance was legendary.
Johnson did deal with some adversity when Moraes was taking him down and having some success in the wrestling exchanges during Rounds 1 and 2. However, Johnson remained active off of his back and even cut Moraes with a slick elbow. This shows that even in a tough position, Johnson was still determined to win the exchanges and change the outcome of the fight. The 3rd and 4th Rounds did not have any wrestling exchanges and Johnson was able to win the striking exchanges by getting in and out of range which put Moraes on the back foot.
Johnson started hitting the target with more consistency in the 4th Round and it wasn’t long until he found the finish. Johnson faked with a knee, came over the top with a straight right hand which staggered his opponent and he finished the fight with an explosive flying left knee to put an empathic exclamation point on a competitive rematch. Its the type of highlight reel knockout that will be remembered for a long time and gives Johnson the type of win he needed to restore his legendary legacy. Johnson is now the only fighter to ever knockout Moraes. Johnson has now established himself as one of the all-time greats at both 125 and 135 pounds. One Championship continues to deliver great fights with multiple finishes and this was a great way to end an exciting night.
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