Adriano Moraes vs. Demetrious Johnson II headlines ONE 161 card

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Bengaluru, July 12: ONE 161: Moraes vs. Johnson II will be broadcast live in U.S primetime on Friday, August 26, from the Singapore Indoor Stadium. Combat sports fans, however, will enjoy a plethora of contests besides the previously announced main event.

In the headliner, ONE Flyweight World Champion Adriano Moraes is seeking a repeat victory over mixed martial arts legend Demetrious Johnson. This time, Johnson will be a tougher foe because he already has all the intel regarding Moraes' game. Meanwhile, another victory over "Mighty Mouse" will solidify the title reign of "Mikinho."

The co-main event will see ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion Nong-O Gaiyanghadao defend his belt against British striker Liam Harrison. Since coming out of retirement in April 2018, Nong-O has been on an eight-fight winning streak and has looked invincible in each contest.

However, he cannot underestimate "Hitman," mainly because he has the punching power to score an early finish. Harrison proved that prowess when he knocked out Muangthai PK.Saenchai, despite being knocked down twice himself in the opening round.

That display moved Harrison into the division's top contender rankings and earned him a US$100,000 bonus. More importantly, he gets a shot at the longtime ONE World Champion, who has been a dominant force with over 260 career victories.

Also included on the card is the ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Grand Prix semifinal showdown between ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon and Cyprus' Savvas Michael. There's also a Grand Prix alternate fight between former ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion Jonathan Haggerty and Amir Naseri.

After withdrawing from the tournament for health reasons, Haggerty is still hoping to become a part of it by winning against the Malaysian-Iranian fighter.

Completing the main card of ONE 161 are two heavyweight mixed martial arts pairings. Seventeen-time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Champion Marcus "Buchecha" Almeida is looking to maintain his unblemished record in The Home of Martial Arts against former ONE World Title challenger Kirill Grishenko. Mauro Cerilli is also raring to return to title contention with a win over Amir Aliakbari.

Meanwhile, the lead card will feature an atomweight MMA contest between Itsuki Hirata and Lin Heqin. Amber Kitchen and Diandra Martin will also compete in a catchweight Muay Thai contest.

Here is the main card for ONE 161:

• (c) Adriano Moraes vs. Demetrious Johnson (ONE Flyweight World Title)

• (c) Nong-O Gaiyanghadao vs. Liam Harrison (ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Title)

• Rodtang Jitmuangnon vs. Savvas Michael (Flyweight World Grand Prix semifinal)

• Marcus Almeida vs. Kirill Grishenko (MMA - heavyweight)

• Amir Aliakbari vs. Mauro Cerilli (MMA - heavyweight)

• Amir Naseri vs. Jonathan Haggerty (Flyweight World Grand Prix alternate)

And here is the lead card for ONE 161: Moraes Vs. Johnson II

• Itsuki Hirata vs. Lin Heqin (MMA - women's atomweight)

• Diandra Martin vs. Amber Kitchen (Muay Thai - catchweight of 128 pounds)

Source: Media Release