Adriano Moraes remembers watching Wanderlei Silva clutching his hands together and rolling his wrists in his signature “Axe Murderer” motions.
He recalls Kazushi Sakuraba knocking off Brazilian after Brazilian and still gets a kick out of Anderson Silva’s iconic Michael Jackson entrance.
PRIDE had an impact on Moraes (21-5), who used to watch video tapes of the Japanese promotion before hitting the gym. It was motivation.
At ONE 172 on Sunday, Moraes will feel all the nostalgia as he makes the walk in the iconic venue where PRIDE hosted so many legendary events.
“It’s so awesome because a lot of legends rose up in PRIDE, especially in Saitama Super Arena,” Moraes recently told MMA Junkie. “There were a lot of good battles over there. It’s going to be a dream come true.”
Moraes, 35, is one of ONE’s most accomplished fighters. He’s competed 17 times under the promotion’s banner and has had three separate title reigns. He’ll have a chance to embark on a fourth journey atop the throne when he battles Yuya Wakamatsu (18-6) for the vacant title. The fight will be a rematch of a March 2022 bout, which Moraes won by third-round submission.
“I think it’s going to be different because you are in another time,” Moraes said. “Both of us athletes have evolved a lot. But the goal is the same. I want to submit him again. … Second round.”
Nearing 14 years as a professional MMA fighter and 12 years with ONE, Moraes isn’t feeling too jaded. Despite his longevity and experience, he thinks he has much more left in the tank. Retirement isn’t exactly at the tip of his tongue.
“I feel so young,” Moraes said. “My body is still young. I think I can still fight. I did already a lot for this sport. I’ve been training for a lot of fights since I was a young age. But I’m still training hard. I’m still feeling good. I think if God is to give me the blessing of health, I’m still going to be here fighting. Yes, I think I want to become a champion again and let’s see what’s going to happen later.”
