Adriano Moraes Stuns Demetrious Johnson In ONE’s U.S. Debut

Adriano Moraes was not the main attraction going into the ONE Championship United States prime-time debut on TNT, but he left that way.

Moraes defended his title and knocked out former UFC champion Demetrious Johnson in the main event. The card was the first to air on TNT for the promotion. 

Moraes utilized his height and reach advantage as he circled Johnson from the outside. Johnson tried to close the distance, but Moraes caught the challenger with an uppercut and knee before completing the stunning second-round finish with a barrage of ground strikes. It was the first knockout loss of Johnson’s storied career.

The co-main event between multiple-time Lightweight World Champion Eddie “The Underground King” Alvarez and #2-ranked lightweight contender Iuri Lapicus ended in controversial fashion. After a brief grappling exchange, the action was halted after the referee made the determination that Alvarez had landed illegal strikes to the back of the head, resulting in a red card and subsequent disqualification.

ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion Rodtang “The Iron Man” Jitmuangnon was spectacular in his U.S. prime-time debut, winning a unanimous decision over “Mini T” Danial Williams after an explosive three-round contest. Williams came out firing from the opening bell, but Rodtang pressed the action and scored a knockdown in the second round with a sharp left hook. In the final round, Rodtang and Williams exchanged thunderous strikes in the center of the Circle to end the bout in style.

Official Results for ONE on TNT I

ONE Flyweight World Championship: Adriano Moraes defeats Demetrious Johnson via KO at 2:24 of round 2
Mixed Martial Arts – Lightweight: Iuri Lapicus defeats Eddie Alvarez via Disqualification at 1:03 of round 1
Muay Thai – Catch Weight (61.5 KG): Rodtang Jitmuangnon defeats Danial Williams via Unanimous Decision
Mixed Martial Arts – Welterweight: Raimond Magomedaliev defeats Tyler McGuire via Unanimous Decision
Kickboxing – Featherweight: Enriko Kehl defeats Chingiz Allazov via Split Decision
Mixed Martial Arts – Heavyweight: Oumar Kane defeats Patrick Schmid via TKO at 1:48 of round 1