Adriano Moraes

Background Moraes was born in Brasilia, Brazil and abandoned by his mother days after birth. He was taken to an orphanage where he lived for three years before being adopted. He was an active child who partook in judo and capoeira. Wanting to learn how to better defend himself, Moraes took up Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

As a member of Constrictor Team, Moraes shined as a submission specialist. Moraes developed his skills and competed in jiu-jitsu tournaments before transitioning into MMA. He made his MMA debut in 2011. He would win the NAGA No-Gi Pro Division Championship in 2014 prior to earning his black belt.

Mixed martial arts career On September 4, 2011, Moraes made his professional mixed martial arts debut at Precol Combat 5 against Ismael Bonfim. Moraes won by first-round submission (guillotine choke). He would reel off six more victories before joining the longtime promotion Shooto in 2013.

ONE Championship On November 15, 2013, Moraes made his ONE Championship debut at ONE FC: Warrior Spirit. He lost a split decision to Yusup Saadulaev.

First title reign After back-to-back wins, Moraes met Geje Eustaquio for the vacant ONE Flyweight Championship. Moraes would capture his first world championship with a second-round guillotine choke on September 12, 2014 at ONE FC: Age of Champions.

Moraes would successfully defend the belt against Riku Shibuya on March 13, 2015 before dropping the title in a close split decision to Kairat Akhmetov on November 21, 2015 at ONE: Dynasty of Champions.

Second title reign On August 13, 2016, Moraes captured gold once again as he became the interim ONE flyweight champion by defeating Tilek Batyrov via rear-naked choke at ONE: Heroes of the World.

On August 5, 2017, Moraes and Akhmetov fought in a flyweight unification bout. Moraes won the fight by unanimous decision and became the ONE flyweight championship undisputed champion.

On November 10, 2017, Moraes successfully defended the title against Danny Kingad at ONE: Legends of the World by rear-naked choke in the first round.

Moraes was scheduled to defend his title against Reece McLaren at ONE Championship: Visions of Victory on March 9, 2018. However, he suffered a knee injury and was forced to withdraw.

Moraes was set to make his second title defense against Geje Eustaquio at ONE Championship: Pinnacle of Power on June 23, 2018. He lost the fight and the title via split decision.

Third title reign The pair met in a trilogy match at ONE Championship: Hero's Ascent on January 25, 2019. Moraes re-captured the championship via unanimous decision.

As the first bout of his new four-fight, two-year contract, Adriano Moraes was scheduled to defend his title against ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix Champion and former UFC Flyweight Champion Demetrious Johnson at ONE Championship: Reign of Dynasties on April 11, 2020. The fight was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

After being delayed, Moraes defended his title against Johnson at ONE on TNT 1 on April 7, 2021. The event was held at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore and was broadcast on TNT during US prime time. Moraes won the bout via KO (knee) in round two. Due to Johnson being in a grounded position when he was hit, it would have counted as an illegal strike (and thus, would have resulted in a disqualification win for Johnson) if the fight had been held in the U.S.; however, the fight was held in Asia where such strikes are legal.

Moraes next defended his title against Yuya Wakamatsu at ONE: X on March 6, 2022. He won the fight via a guillotine choke submission in the third round.

Moraes made the third title defense of his third title reign against Demetrious Johnson at ONE on Prime Video 1 on August 27, 2022. He lost the fight and the title via KO due to a flying knee in the fourth round.

Post-championship The trilogy bout between Moraes and Johnson for the ONE Flyweight World Championship was held on May 5, 2023, at ONE Fight Night 10. Moraes lost the bout by unanimous decision.

Moraes faced Danny Kingad in a rematch on November 9, 2024, at ONE 169. He won the fight via guillotine choke in round two.

Moraes faced Yuya Wakamatsu in a rematch, for the vacant ONE Flyweight World Championship on March 23, 2025, at ONE 172. He lost the fight via technical knockout in round one.

On March 2, 2026, it was announced that Moraes was no longer under contract with ONE Championship.

Most Valuable Promotions Moraes was scheduled to face Muhammad Mokaev on May 16, 2026 at MVP MMA 1. However, Mokaev withdrew from the bout due to visa issues and was replaced by Phumi Nkuta. He won the fight via a last-second technical submission by rear-naked choke in the third round. Referee Herb Dean's decision proved controversial, with some alleging that Nkuta was not unconscious before the bell and that Moraes illegally held onto the submission after the end. Nkuta argued that the decision deprived him of the chance to win by decision and filed an appeal with the California State Athletic Commission, though the appeal was denied due to lack of definitive evidence.

Championships and accomplishments ONE Championship ONE Flyweight Championship (Three times) Four successful title defenses (overall) One successful title defense (first reign) One successful title defense (second reign) Two successful title defense (third reign) Interim ONE Flyweight Championship (One time) MMA Knockout of the Year 2021 Shooto Shooto Brazil Flyweight Championship World MMA Awards 2021 Upset of the Year vs. Demetrious Johnson at ONE on TNT 1

Mixed martial arts record Win

Phumi Nkuta Technical Submission (rear-naked choke) MVP MMA: Rousey vs. Carano

Inglewood, California, United States Loss

Yuya Wakamatsu TKO (punches) ONE 172

Saitama, Japan Win

Danny Kingad Submission (guillotine choke) ONE 169

Bangkok, Thailand Loss

Demetrious Johnson Decision (unanimous) ONE Fight Night 10

Broomfield, Colorado, United States Loss

Demetrious Johnson KO (flying knee) ONE on Prime Video 1

Kallang, Singapore Win

Yuya Wakamatsu Submission (guillotine choke) ONE: X

Kallang, Singapore Win

Demetrious Johnson KO (knee) ONE on TNT 1

Kallang, Singapore Win

Geje Eustaquio Decision (unanimous) ONE: Hero's Ascent

Pasay, Philippines Loss

Geje Eustaquio Decision (split) ONE: Pinnacle of Power

Macau, SAR, China Win

Danny Kingad Submission (rear naked choke) ONE: Legends of the World

Pasay, Philippines Win

Kairat Akhmetov Decision (unanimous) ONE: Kings & Conquerors

Macau, SAR, China Win

Tilek Batyrov Submission (rear-naked choke) ONE: Heroes of the World

Macau, SAR, China Win

Eugene Toquero Submission (brabo choke) ONE: Union of Warriors

Yangon, Myanmar Loss

Kairat Akhmetov Decision (split) ONE: Dynasty of Champions 4

Beijing, China Win

Riku Shibuya Decision (unanimous) ONE: Age of Champions

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Win

Geje Eustaquio Submission (guillotine choke) ONE FC: Rise of the Kingdom

Phnom Penh, Cambodia Win

Kosuke Suzuki Submission (arm-triangle choke) ONE FC: Era of Champions

Jakarta, Indonesia Win

Yasuhiro Urushitani Submission (rear-naked choke) ONE FC: War of Nations

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Loss

Yusup Saadulaev Decision (split) ONE FC: Warrior Spirit

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Win

Dileno Lopes TKO (body kick) Shooto Brazil 40

Manaus, Brazil Win

José Marcos Júnior Decision (unanimous) Shooto Brazil 39

Brasília, Brazil Win

Carlos Sousa Almeida Submission (rear-naked choke) Octagon Rounds Fight 2

Palmas, Brazil Win

Aldo Ariel Villalba Submission (arm-triangle choke) Pro Mix Fight 7

Campo Grande, Brazil Win

Michael William Costa Decision (unanimous) Shooto Brazil 34

Brasília, Brazil Win

Leonardo Moura Decision (unanimous) Encontro Fight 2

São Paulo, Brazil Win

Jhon Leno KO (knee) Rockstrike MMA

Brasília, Brazil Win

James Carvalho TKO (elbows) Precol Combat 7

Unaí, Brazil Win

Ismael Bonfim Submission (guillotine choke) Precol Combat 5

Unaí, Brazil