ONE Championship to Host Event in USA on May 5 with Johnson vs. Moraes 3 in Colorado

Demetrious Johnson, ONE on Prime Video 1
Demetrious Johnson, ONE on Prime Video 1 Credit: ONE Championship

ONE Championship has announced that the trilogy between flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson and Adriano Moraes will headline their on-ground US debut on May 5 in Colorado.

The long-awaited US debut for ONE Championship has finally been announced as the promotion sent out a release saying they will be making their on-ground debut in America on May 5, 2023 in Broomfield, Colorado.  Headlining the event will be the trilogy between former UFC and current ONE flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson and former longtime champion Adriano Moraes.

ONE Championship has pushed to have a greater presence in America over the last several years with more press events and broadcast deals with Turner Sports granting them a greater footprint in the market that is largely dominated by the UFC, Bellator, and PFL.  Earlier this year, the promotion announced a deal with Amazon’s Prime Video service to air several events live to the United States.

Johnson (24-4-1) and Moraes (20-4) will have now fought three times in as many years with their newly announced meeting.  The first time, then champion Moraes shocked Johnson with a second round knockout that ended the UFC veteran’s run that had seen him win the promotion’s Grand Prix.  In the rematch earlier this year, Johnson exacted revenge with a knockout of his own in the fourth round to claim his second championship in a major promotion.

No other fights for the undercard have been announced at this time.