Former two-division ONE World Champion Aung La “The Burmese Python” N Sang is expecting another thrilling battle to go down when ONE Flyweight Champion Adriano “Mikinho” Moraes and mixed martial arts veteran Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson meet for their highly anticipated rematch at ONE 161: Moraes vs. Johnson II on 26 August.

Moraes came out on top in their first battle, at ONE on TNT I early last year, when he knocked Johnson out with a devastating knee to the head.

The victory cemented “Mikinho” as one of the baddest flyweights on the planet – and Aung La N Sang believes the longtime divisional king can do it again in the rematch.

“Physically for a flyweight, Adriano is so big. He’s bigger than most bantamweights, and for him to make flyweight so easily – it’s insane,” the Myanmar sporting icon said.

“I think Adriano has a very good chance of beating DJ again.”

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Before his meeting with Moraes, Johnson had never suffered a knockout in his illustrious career. The Washington native is widely regarded as the mixed martial arts GOAT, so the second-round finish sent shockwaves through the combat sports world.

Aung La N Sang believes Adriano Moraes’s win was no fluke

“The Burmese Python” wasn’t surprised by the result, however. He always believed Moraes had the skill set to get the job done, despite Johnson’s stellar record across a variety of different promotions.

“To me, it wasn’t a shock at all. We practice the sport of mixed martial arts. How can you say one person from another league is better when we’re doing the same thing and putting in the same hard work?” Aung La N Sang offered.

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“[Moraes] was a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt at a very young age. He’s got good boxing. He’s as big as they get for flyweight. His build, his size, his skill set, his physical attributes, they all make him the real deal.”

Despite picking Moraes to come out on top on 26 August, Aung La N Sang recognizes that Johnson will put up a formidable challenge in his quest for redemption.

The 12-time Flyweight World Champion knows what he has to do to get the gold and tie the rivalry, and he has plenty of tools in his arsenal to do it, meaning this fight is a guaranteed barnburner.

“I’m not saying that Adriano is going to win for sure, but he has a very, very good chance of beating DJ again,” Aung La N Sang said.

“I think this could be the fight of the year. They’re both great fighters, so it could be.”

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