SINGAPORE - Revenge does not get served any colder than that.

American mixed martial arts (MMA) star Demetrious Johnson avenged his loss to Adriano Moraes in spectacular – and poetic – fashion on Saturday (Aug 27), knocking the Brazilian out with a brutal knee to the head to claim the One Championship flyweight world title, 1,400 days after he joined the organisation.

Moraes had beaten him with a similar move when the pair fought in April 2021. It remains the only time Johnson has been finished in his 36-fight career.

Johnson’s highlight-reel knockout capped an entertaining morning of action at the One on Prime Video 1 event at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, which was broadcast on prime time in the United States and marked One’s first step in its long-term American expansion.

One and Amazon Prime Video signed a five-year agreement in April to broadcast 12 events annually to the North American market. It will pave the way for One to stage its first major event in the US early next year.

For the 36-year-old Johnson, the journey to the summit of One has come longer than many expected.

He had reigned for almost six years as flyweight champion of American juggernauts the Ultimate Fighting Championship, where he forged a reputation as one of the greatest pound-for-pound MMA fighters; many expected him to rule over the division in One after signing in Oct 2018 as well.

He won three straight fights to earn a shot at Moraes’ world title, only to suffer defeat in the most unexpected of ways.

But after a stellar 2022 – he also beat muay thai great Rodtang Jitmuangnon in a special-rules exhibition fight in March – he says he is now at the peak of his powers.

“I truly believe I’m still getting better at 36 because of the team I surround myself with,” said Johnson. “I’m at the point of my career where if I win, I win; if I lose, I lose. I won’t let the outcome dictate my life.”

His win sent fans at the almost-capacity Indoor Stadium home happy. Most chanted “DJ! DJ! DJ!” and “USA! USA! USA!” during the main event.

Mighty Mouse – as he is nicknamed – endured some rough moments in the first two rounds but kept the pace up in the third, where the tide began to shift in his favour. In the fourth round, he rocked Moraes with a stiff right hand before connecting with a flying knee to his opponent’s temple.

Said Johnson: “For this game plan, it was a very hard camp, (training to) just walk him down, eat his shots... And I felt great.”

All five bouts on the main card of One on Prime Video 1 ended in finishes, to the delight of fans.

But the mood turned pensive for a brief moment after Marcus “Buchecha” Almeida made short work of Kirill Grishenko to win his fourth consecutive MMA fight.

The 32-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) great, a record 13-time world champion in the sport, submitted his Belarusian rival with a slick heel hook just a minute into their heavyweight bout.

Post-fight, Almeida dedicated his win to the late Leandro Lo, who died on Aug 7 after being shot in the head in a nightclub in Sao Paulo. The eight-time BJJ world champion was 33.

“The last three weeks was the hardest time of my life,” said Almeida through tears.

“I lost one of my best friends, he was like a brother to me... For sure now, he’s up there and he’s celebrating my victory.

“I didn’t even know how I did it the past three weeks... I was training, crying every single day.”

Almeida was so overwhelmed that he declined to say what challenge he wants next.
“(Lo) always told me ‘life is now’, so I just wanna think about today, not tomorrow,” he said through sobs.

Main card results:

Demetrious Johnson bt Adriano Moraes (Knockout) to win the MMA flyweight world title

Nong-O Gaiyanghadao bt Liam Harrison (Technical knockout) to retain the Muay Thai bantamweight world title

Panpayak Jitmuangnon bt Savvas Michael (KO)

Marcus Almeida bt Kirill Grishenko (Submission)

Amir Aliakbari bt Mauro Cerilli (TKO)