A fantastic display of Adriano Moraes' outstanding abilities! #PinnacleOfPower #Macau #MartialArts pic.twitter.com/KW2pCnUiFi

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) May 30, 2018

If you haven’t been introduced to Adriano Moraes yet, then now is as good a time as any to be.  The 31 year old Brazilian fighting out of American Top Team has been a professional since 2011 and kicked off his career at a perfect 9-0 that included winning the Shooto title.  He officially joined ONE Championship in 2013 and has been a part of the promotion ever since.  Overall Moraes has an 18-3 record and has notably avenged two of the three losses on his resume.

In ONE, Moraes has spent the majority of his career in title contention.  Since 2014, he has claimed the undisputed title three times and recorded two title defenses.  One of his three losses was a split-decision to Kairat Akhmetov in 2015 that cost him the title, which he later avenged in 2017 and regained the belt.  In 2018, he suffered a split-decision to familiar foe Geje Eustaquio that cost him the belt again, though he again avenged the loss the following year to regain the title again and take the series against Eustaquio 2-1.

🐭 ONE FLYWEIGHT WORLD GRAND PRIX CHAMPION 🐭
Demetrious "Mighty Mouse" Johnson claims the inaugural tournament crown with an awesome performance against a game Danny Kingad!@MightyMouse #WeAreONE #ONEChampionship #ONECentury pic.twitter.com/AhNKRl1Dhe

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) October 13, 2019

At 34 years old, Demetrious Johnson is out to add to a legacy that is already set in stone.  His 11 title defenses in the UFC is a modern era benchmark, and it is difficult to fathom anyone breaking that record when surveying the current landscape.  Johnson was part of more history in 2018, being a part of a groundbreaking trade between the UFC and ONE that brought his talents to Asia where he won his first three fights to claim the Flyweight Grand Prix crown and set up his bout with Moraes.

The fact that Johnson’s loss to Henry Cejudo in 2018 was a razor close split-decision and that he had subsequent victories in ONE afterwards have many keeping Johnson as one of the preeminent talents in the world today.  He is (rightfully so) the favorite to win on Wednesday and in a historic live event televised on TNT that is expected to boost the ONE brand in the United States further than ever before.  That said, he is coming back from the longest layoff of his professional career.  While his recent run does not suggest he is starting to slow down, a run like his can only end abruptly no matter when it were to occur.  If there were a time to assume he could be more vulnerable in any way, one figures it could be now.

An explosive and aggressive attack will be the key to a Moraes victory as he should capitalize on his height and reach advantage over Johnson.  The champion has displayed a multi-faceted attack on the feet and should to use it to full effect early.  The biggest weapon in favor of Johnson is his wrestling.  While Moraes is a competent grappler in his own right, using takedowns and testing the Brazilian’s prowess off his back could be the key as Johnson has proven himself to be well-versed as well on the mat.

The winner would likely see a familiar foe, with top ranked contender Danny Kingad having already fought both men.  Another option would be the winner of fourth ranked Reece McLaren who fights fellow top five flyweight Yuya Wakamatsu later this month.

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Speaking to media outlets including Cageside Press as part of an international video call to promote April’s ONE on TNT series, ONE Championship’s head honcho noted that “this is a long time coming. When Turner and ONE Championship first announced our partnership, this was always the plan, to start broadcasting on TNT, and in prime time. It took a while to get momentum, and then obviously COVID hit. It really did take us for a left turn last year.”

The TNT deal was announced back in September 2019, with ONE no doubt hoping 2020 would be the year they made a big splash in America. For obvious reasons, that didn’t happen. ONE wound up shutting down in the face of the coronavirus pandemic, only returning to live shows in its home base of Singapore this past October. That, after a handful of mainly tape-delayed shows in China and Thailand.

“We’re back in full force, and we expect to put on some incredible fights for the American fans, and really introduce our brand of martial arts,” Sityodtong exclaimed. And come April, they’ve got a sweet timeslot on TNT: immediately following hit pro wrestling show AEW.

As much as this move to TNT might feel like making up for the promotion’s much-talked plan to host a live event on American soil, Sityodtong reiterated Wednesday that “the plan was always to expand our partnership, and take advantage of the opportunity of TNT’s wide reach— I think 90 million homes across America. They’ve done a great job with AEW, and they really want to pair up AEW with ONE championship.”

“I think it’s going to be great for wrestling fans and combat sports fans alike,” he said of the pairing. “It’s something new and fresh, and never seen before in the States.”

AEW is no stranger to MMA fans, of course. Not too long ago, Rashad Evans, Henry Cejudo, and current ONE fighter Vitor Belfort appeared on AEW Dynamite. Mike Tyson and NBA great Shaq, who also have ties to the MMA world, have appeared on AEW programming.

When it comes to introducing themselves to American audiences, more than pro wrestling will be required. Sityodtong allowed that “of course we do have the familiar and legendary names like a [Demetrious Johnson] and Eddie Alvarez.”

But he was also quick to point out that beyond the familiar U.S. names, the promotion also boasts 150 world champions across “various martial arts” among its 550 athletes.

“You will see a whole plethora of marital arts competitions, whether it’s mixed martial arts, muay thai, kickboxing, submission grappling, and the list goes on,” promised Sityodtong. “But also, you get to see the excitement of the single discipline world champions who then compete in mixed martial arts.”

“I genuinely believe we have the world’s greatest roster of martial arts world champions, bar none. Full stop. Single discipline or mixed martial arts,” he later added. “We would put our world champions against any of the other two global organizations’ world champions in a heartbeat. But we’re out here in Asia, and people just don’t know that our roster is full of monsters and killers.”

Sityodtong suggested that only Demetrious Johnson “has managed to arrive and come into ONE Championship unscathed,” out of the former UFC fighters now competing for his organization. And even those wins were “some of the toughest fights of his career.”

“Just because American fans haven’t heard the names does not mean these guys haven’t been doing martial arts their entire lives, and competing in ONE Championship, the world’s largest stage of martial arts,” observed Sityodtong. “This is going to be a great introduction for American fans, for sure.”

That introduction will come on April 7, at UFC on TNT 1. The first event will be live, Sityodtong assured the press Wednesday. Future dates remain a question. Currently, ONE has taken to filming additional shows to be aired via tape delay at their live events. “April 7 is going to be 100% live, for both B/R Live [prelims] and TNT. Let’s see how the rest of the events go. The long term plan is eventually to have ONE on TNT always live. That’s the long term plan. But we have to adapt during COVID. Let’s see how it all shakes out.”

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The series will kick off with ONE on TNT I on April 7, with a preliminary card airing on the Bleacher Report App and B/R Live from 9PM to 10PM ET. Following the prelims will be three main card fights televised exclusively on TNT in the U.S. at 10PM ET. The series will run every Wednesday from April 7 to 28 — and some big names are involved.

ONE on TNT I will feature the promotion’s previously announced flyweight title fight between Demetrious Johnson and champ Adriano Moraes. Plus, former UFC lightweight champ Eddie Alvarez faces Iuri Lapicus, and a non-title fight between flyweight Muay Thai champ Rodtang “The Iron Man” Jitmuangnon and the UK’s Jacob Smith rounds out the affair.

Future cards will feature other big names. On April 14, at ONE on TNT II, lightweight champ Christian Lee, brother of atomwieght champ and promotional darling Angela, will put his title on the line against Timofey Nastyukhin. The following week at ONE on TNT III, light heavyweight champ Aung La N Sang completes his trilogy with former middleweight champ Vitaly Bigdash. That fight, at middleweight, is being billed as a number one contender’s bout. “The Burmese Python” recently dropped that title to Reinier de Ridder.

The final card of the series, ONE on TNT IV, does not have any bouts currently announced.

“We are absolutely thrilled to kick off 2021 with the announcement of our first season of ‘ONE on TNT’,” Chatri Sityodtong, Chairman and CEO of ONE Championship, was quoted as saying in Wednesday’s press release. “We look forward to introducing our unique brand of martial arts to the U.S. on prime time. American fans can expect something fresh, new and completely different from anything that is currently available in the U.S. As always, we will feature some of the greatest World Champions across various martial arts alongside a few familiar, legendary names.”

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