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In 2023, the long-awaited ONE Championship will mark its U.S. premiere with an eagerly awaited trilogy fight.
Demetrious Johnson, the current flyweight champion of ONE, will face former champion Adriano Moraes in their third encounter and serve as the event's main attraction, ONE said on Monday. ONE on Prime Video 10 will take place May 5 at 1st Bank Center in Broomfield, Colorado.
“This is a monumental day in the history of ONE Championship as we announce our U.S. on-ground debut in Colorado on Friday, May 5,” ONE chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong said in a news release. “We are very grateful for the support of the state athletic commission and look forward to putting on an unforgettable show for our passionate fanbase in the U.S. and watching around the world.”
The 36-year-old Johnson, a former UFC flyweight champion, defeated Moraes in the fourth round of their showdown in August to claim the flyweight (135 pounds) championship of ONE. In April 2021, the duo first clashed. In the second round of that battle, Moraes used a knee to finish off Johnson.
After spending decades in the UFC, Johnson joined ONE in 2019 and has since gone 4-1. Before his inevitable fight against Moraes 18 months ago, he clinched the promotion's Flyweight Grand Prix in 2019.
Brazil's Moraes, 34, has been competing for ONE for almost ten years. He earned the first flyweight championship in 2014, followed by an interim championship in 2016 and a final championship in 2017. In a duel with Geje Eustaquio in 2018, he dropped the title, but just six months later, he defeated him. Before his loss against Johnson, he had won seven of his previous eight contests.
In the upcoming months, more fights for the event are anticipated to be revealed.