Adriano “Mikinho” Moraes may be deep in preparation for his ONE Flyweight World Title rematch against Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson at ONE 161: Moraes vs. Johnson II on August 26, but the Brazilian superstar will be keeping a close eye on the main event of ONE 159: De Ridder vs. Bigdash, which goes down this Friday at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

Two-division ONE World Champion Reinier “The Dutch Knight” de Ridder is set to put his middleweight gold on the line against former divisional king Vitaly Bigdash that evening, and “Mikinho” thinks the unbeaten Dutchman will leave the Circle with another dominant win.

“If Reinier de Ridder manages to impose his jiu-jitsu game, he can finish this fight,” Moraes said.

“I don’t know how it will play out. But I believe Reinier de Ridder will submit him around the third round.”

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Despite his predictions, the longtime flyweight king isn’t underestimating what Bigdash will bring to the Circle on Friday night.

Adriano Moraes is not ruling out a Vitaly Bigdash win

The 37-year-old challenger has churned out some of his best performances of late, including a win in his trilogy fight against Aung La “The Burmese Python” N Sang at ONE: FULL CIRCLE this past February, and Moraes knows he can compete with “The Dutch Knight” in an array of areas.

“Vitaly Bigdash is a very tough Russian fighter. But if Reinier de Ridder manages to impose his pressure with jiu-jitsu, I believe he can submit and defend his title,” he said.

“But it will be a good fight. Bigdash is a striker, but he also has very strong wrestling.”

Just as he predicts that De Ridder will defend his gold at Friday’s event, the Brazilian hopes to do the same at ONE 161 on August 26. The main event tussle will broadcast live in US primetime, and Moraes will be looking to go 2-0 in his rivalry with “Mighty Mouse.”

“Mikinho” enters the bout with plenty of confidence. He is on a three-match winning streak, including back-to-back finishes over Johnson and Yuya Wakamatsu, and he’s focused on further showcasing his depth and skill when he squares off against the MMA icon.

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“I think that in this rematch, I have nothing to prove. I just want to give my best, as always, and show that I am an increasingly complete athlete,” he said.