One FC 17 headliner Adriano Moraes welcomes shot at vacant flyweight title

Adriano Moraes is unbeaten at 125 pounds, and he wants to hold the One FC title.

Back to the win column with a second-round submission victory over UFC veteran Yasuhiro Urushitani in March, following a loss to bantamweight talent Yusup Saadulaev in his One FC debut, Moraes headlines the One FC 17 card against Kosuke Suzuki in Jakarta, Indonesia, on June 14.

One FC has yet to crown a flyweight champion, and Moraes would welcome an opportunity for the title next.

“My job is to accept fights and do a good job,” Moraes told MMAFighting.com. “If the promotion thinks that I deserve a title shot next, I will be ready to fight for the title.”

“It’s huge,” he said of headlining a One FC card for the first time. “I’m really excited and motivated for this fight. At the same time, I’m really thankful for the One FC staff for believing in me and giving me such a huge opportunity. I hope I can live up to the expectations on June 14 and give the Asian fans a great show.”

With a 10-1 MMA record and seven stoppage victories, the Brazilian flyweight wants to make a statement by finishing Suzuki in the One FC 17 main event, but he knows it won’t be easy. While most of his MMA wins came via submission, Moraes sees the striking area as the best way to beat his opponent.

“I always try to finish my fights, and it won’t be different this time,” he said. “I always adapt my strategy in the middle of the fight and look for the best way to finish it. He has a good judo background, that’s why it’s hard to submit him. In a fight like this, any mistake can end the fight. The only thing I can say is that I’m ready for it.”

“I watched some of his fights and he’s a complete fighter,” Moraes continued. “He seems to have a good wrestling, striking and jiu-jitsu. It’s going to be a big challenge for me. I expected an exciting fight, with a lots of kicks and punches. I think the fight will basically stay on the feet, which is good because I’m ready.”

Moraes’ only MMA loss happened out of his weight class, and that was important to teach him some lessons. However, he didn’t change anything in his preparation for his upcoming fights.

“I trained with the same training partners. It was really intense, as always, in my team,” he said. “The difference is that in my last fight (against Urushitani) I was in my original weight class, and that made me feel more comfortable.

“We have to learn good lessons from bad situations to evolve as an athlete and human being, and that’s what happened with me. Yusup Sadulaev made me feel something I had never felt before: the taste of the loss. That made me more mature.”

Adriano Moraes is unbeaten at 125 pounds, and he wants to hold the One FC title.

Back to the win column with a second-round submission victory over UFC veteran Yasuhiro Urushitani in March, following a loss to bantamweight talent Yusup Saadulaev in his One FC debut, Moraes headlines the One FC 17 card against Kosuke Suzuki in Jakarta, Indonesia, on June 14.

One FC has yet to crown a flyweight champion, and Moraes would welcome an opportunity for the title next.

“My job is to accept fights and do a good job,” Moraes told MMAFighting.com. “If the promotion thinks that I deserve a title shot next, I will be ready to fight for the title.”

“It’s huge,” he said of headlining a One FC card for the first time. “I’m really excited and motivated for this fight. At the same time, I’m really thankful for the One FC staff for believing in me and giving me such a huge opportunity. I hope I can live up to the expectations on June 14 and give the Asian fans a great show.”

With a 10-1 MMA record and seven stoppage victories, the Brazilian flyweight wants to make a statement by finishing Suzuki in the One FC 17 main event, but he knows it won’t be easy. While most of his MMA wins came via submission, Moraes sees the striking area as the best way to beat his opponent.

“I always try to finish my fights, and it won’t be different this time,” he said. “I always adapt my strategy in the middle of the fight and look for the best way to finish it. He has a good judo background, that’s why it’s hard to submit him. In a fight like this, any mistake can end the fight. The only thing I can say is that I’m ready for it.”

“I watched some of his fights and he’s a complete fighter,” Moraes continued. “He seems to have a good wrestling, striking and jiu-jitsu. It’s going to be a big challenge for me. I expected an exciting fight, with a lots of kicks and punches. I think the fight will basically stay on the feet, which is good because I’m ready.”

Moraes’ only MMA loss happened out of his weight class, and that was important to teach him some lessons. However, he didn’t change anything in his preparation for his upcoming fights.

“I trained with the same training partners. It was really intense, as always, in my team,” he said. “The difference is that in my last fight (against Urushitani) I was in my original weight class, and that made me feel more comfortable.

“We have to learn good lessons from bad situations to evolve as an athlete and human being, and that’s what happened with me. Yusup Sadulaev made me feel something I had never felt before: the taste of the loss. That made me more mature.”