ONE Championship is making its debut in the United States with one of the biggest fights the promotion can put on.
All-time MMA great Demetrious Johnson will defend his ONE 135-pound title against Adriano Moraes in the main event of ONE on Prime Video 10 on May 5 in Broomfield, Colorado, the promotion announced Monday. Johnson, the longtime former UFC flyweight champion, and Moraes are 1-1 against each other, trading knockouts.
Colorado is significant, because it was also the state that hosted UFC 1. The Colorado Combative Sports Commission last year approved ONE's global rule set, which is different from the Unified Rules of MMA typically used in North America. ONE's rules allow knees to the head when an opponent is grounded.
Johnson (31-4-1) won back the ONE title by knocking Moraes out with a flying knee in the fourth round in August. The Washington product, who now lives in Arizona, dropped the title to Moraes via second-round knockout in April 2021. Johnson, 36, is one of the most accomplished fighters in MMA history, holding the UFC record for most consecutive title defenses (11).
Moraes (20-4) had a three-fight winning streak snapped by Johnson last summer. The Brazilian-born fighter, who trains at Florida's American Top Team, sports an 11-4 record in ONE. Moraes, 34, is a three-time former ONE 135-pound champion with four total successful title defenses to his name.