The last act of a championship Friday in MMA sees ONE Championship make its long-awaited debut on streaming service Amazon Prime Video with ONE on Prime Video 1 and the ONE on Prime Video 1 main event.
Friday’s card (main card at 10 pm ET/ 7 pm PT on Amazon Prime Video after the undercard at 8 pm ET/ 5 pm PT on YouTube) marks the first show in the promotion’s new media rights deal with the streamer, at no additional cost to current members of the service in the United States and Canada
Under the deal, one card a month will stream on Amazon Prime Video in a Friday evening timeslot to North American subscribers, and subsequent to the deal, ONE Championship will expand its itinerary to United States markets starting next year.
These events will be titled “ONE Fight Night” outside of North America and will be available as pay-per-views for most international markets through ONE Championship’s official website.
Flyweight Gold At Stake in ONE on Prime Video 1 Main Event
All told, ONE on Prime Video 1 features a 10-bout card across MMA and Muay-Thai, highlighted by an anticipated rematch at flyweight (135 lbs.) in the ONE on Prime Video 1 main event.
Incumbent ONE Flyweight Champion Adriano Moraes (20-3 MMA, 11-3 ONE Championship) will defend the 135-lb. strap against No. 1 contender Demetrious Johnson (23-4-1 MMA, 3-2 ONE Championship) in a rematch of a fight on TNT during Friday’s main event.
As with all MMA championship fights, the ONE on Prime Video 1 main event will be an advertised maximum of five rounds at five minutes per round to close the show.
With this being the first card for ONE Championship on Amazon Prime Video, as well as the first time that some viewers may be watching a ONE Championship event, remember that the promotion bases its divisions on a fighter’s everyday weight and has long banned dehydration as a means of cutting weight.
The Last Meeting
Moraes and Johnson first fought one another in April of 2021 during the main event of ONE on TNT 1 , with Moraes scoring a second-round knockout (uppercut followed by a knee strike and ground and pound shots) to successfully defend the championship.
ONE on Prime Video 1 Main Event Fighter Comparison
Heading into Friday’s headlining bout, champion Adriano Moraes stands as the taller man at 5-foot-8, compared to the 5-foot-3 frame of challenger Demetrious Johnson.
In addition, the champ owns a 3.3-inch reach advantage (69.3 inches to 66 inches even) over the challenger ahead of the ONE on Prime Video 1 main event.
Adriano Moraes Looks to Ride Momentum of Three-Fight Winning Streak Into ONE on Prime Video 1 Main Event
Adriano Moraes comes into this championship fight having posted a 4-1 record in his last five MMA appearances and is currently on a three-fight winning streak.
Last time out, he scored a third-round submission via guillotine choke against Yuya Wakamatsu (15-5 MMA, 5-3 ONE Championship) in March during ONE X, and if his recent interview with The South China Morning Post is any indication, Moraes will be hunting for a submission again on Friday.
“Yes, of course, I’m always looking to finish,” Moraes began. “For me, it would be awesome to have a submission this time.”
As mentioned before, this card marks the first time that a ONE Championship event will stream on Amazon Prime Video in North America, a fact that isn’t lost on Moraes.
“It’s an honor to be on the front line again,” he said. “I think this is a huge opportunity for us to showcase for the US fans and Canada, and of course, my Brazilian fellows, my resident crew, my Brazilian fans. It’s going to be a good time for us to show up, to showcase.”
Will the champion defend his crown on this momentous evening?
Demetrious Johnson Out For Revenge
In the other corner, Demetrious Johnson has posted a record of 4-1 since joining ONE Championship by way of trade from the UFC in exchange for Ben Askren in the fall of 2018.
During his most recent appearance, Johnson stopped Rodtang Jitmuangnon (second-round submission: rear-naked choke) in a custom rules bout during ONE X, but it’s the fight before that which fuels his motivation for the ONE on Amazon Prime Video 1 main event, even though he says that it won’t be any different from earlier rematches.
“It’s just back-to-back,” Johnson said during the open workouts. “I had one fight against Rodtang, which was a superfight and we’re right back into a fight against Adriano. Nothing too different. Obviously, Adriano is Adriano. He’s a big guy for the flyweight division, so I’m going to go out there and fight.”
For Demetrious Johnson, the time for talk is just about over.
Analysis, Film Study, and Prediction
Stylistically, the ONE on Prime Video 1 main event on Friday night seems to favor Adriano Moraes, a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, compared to Demetrious Johnson, a brown belt in BJJ and freestyle wrestler.
Watch For Adriano Moraes’ Submissions
Adriano Moraes has shown to be extremely adept at scoring submissions, which he did last time out against Wakamatsu.
During the third round of a scheduled five, both men began the period by being assessed yellow cards for inactivity in the cage, with Moraes turning up the volume after the double-booking, taking the back clinch to try and take Wakamatsu down before he fought it off.
The fighters traded leg kicks before trading takedowns, with Wakamatsu landing a double-leg takedown to no avail as Moraes just popped right back up.
Late in the round, Wakamatsu scored another takedown, with Moraes taking his neck to lock in a rear-naked choke to retain the title.
If Moraes is able to take Johnson’s neck, it could be all over but the shouting on Friday.
Demetrious Johnson Can Also Submit
In the other corner, Demetrious Johnson is just as skilled at locking in the submission, something that Wakamatsu also knows firsthand.
During the second round of a scheduled three, Wakamatsu and Johnson started by trading strikes before Johnson utilized the cage mat to walk Wakamatsu down, scoring a takedown and eventually taking side control before Wakamatsu was able to return to the feet.
This would be short-lived as Johnson took him right back down and wrestled with him before softening Wakamatsu up with ground and pound shots.
From there, he landed some knee strikes before finally sinking in a guillotine choke.
If Demetrious Johnson is able to take Adriano Moraes down, it’ll only be a matter of time before he gets the opening to submit him.
Final Thoughts
As far as rematches in MMA go, the ONE on Prime Video 1 main event on Friday night looks to be a great one.
A final word of advice:
Watch this rematch and drink it in, because fights like this don’t come around too often.
Prediction: Adriano Moraes by Unanimous Decision.
Main image credit Embed from Getty Images
