ONE Fight Night 10: Demetrious Johnson retains flyweight gold to end Adriano Moraes trilogy (Video)

Demetrious Johnson finishes the trilogy with Adriano Moraes at ONE Fight Night 10, retaining the ONE flyweight title

Once the flyweight king, always the flyweight king.

Demetrious Johnson defeated Adriano Moraes in their trilogy bout that headlined ONE Fight Night 10 — the promotion's first-ever event in the U.S. — to retain the ONE flyweight world championship.

The two had previously scored knockouts on one another in earlier title bouts. Moraes knocked out Johnson in the second round of their April 2021 bout at ONE on TNT 1, becoming the only man to finish Johnson in MMA. Johnson claimed the title in a rematch in August 2022 at ONE on Prime Video 1.

The two showcased speed from the start, with Johnson coming out on the front foot and Moraes being elusive. The first round had plenty of feeling out, with Moraes throwing plenty of kicks. Moraes went for a knee after blocking a kick from Johnson but missed. About three minutes in, Johnson locked Moraes up against the cage as the two got into a clinch battle and traded for nearly the remainder of the frame.

Demetrious Johnson retains ONE flyweight title against Adriano Moraes at ONE Fight Night 10, does not make retirement decision yet

Moraes cut Johnson off in the cage to start the second round and landed a pair of strong right hands. A strong left about a minute later staggered Johnson, as Moraes was on the front foot and in control of the bout. Again, the two clinched plenty against the cage for about a minute. This time, however, Johnson scored a takedown with about a minute left in the round. And while Moraes didn't stay down for long, "Mighty Mouse" seemed to steal control for the time remaining.

Johnson came out stalking Moraes in the third round, trying to pressure him. About 55 seconds in, Moraes seemed to catch a breather with control in the clinch until Johnson was able to break free. Moraes landed upstairs and tried to press Johnson forward, but Johnson locked him up again and landed a strong elbow. Johnson landed several knees to Moraes's body during the round.

Moraes seemed to come out more aggressively in the fourth round, but Johnson worked over Moraes in the clinch throughout the round again. Johnson landed a number of knees, including a couple of flying knees that somewhat connected with Moraes's jaw.

Johnson and Moraes battled more in the clinch during the fifth round, but Johnson didn't seem troubled at all as the bout went to the final bell.

All three judges awarded the bout to Johnson.

Following the fight, Johnson did not commit to retirement rumors, stating he wants to talk to his wife first. If he chooses not to retire, Kairat Akhmetov will be waiting in the wins as Johnson's next challenger.

ONE Fight Night 10: Demetrious Johnson vs. Adriano Moraes 3 takes place on Friday, May 5, 2023, live from the 1stBank Center in Broomfield, CO. Follow along with FanSided MMA for all your news and highlights.