Former ONE Flyweight World Champion Adriano "Mikinho" Moraes (13-2) of Brazil will make his much-anticipated return to the ONE Cage to take on hair-flipping flyweight standout from Manila, Philippines, Eugene Toquero (8-2). The three-round bout is scheduled for 18 March at the Thuwanna Indoor Stadium in Yangon, Myanmar at ONE: UNION OF WARRIORS.
The 26-year old Moraes (13-2) was dominant as he held the title, staging successful defenses against top caliber opponents Geje Eustaquio and Riku Shibuya, but was outclassed by Kazakh wrestler Kairat Akhmetov in his last bout.
Toquero (8-2) on the other hand, has had moderate success in ONE Championship, defeating hot Malaysian prospect Gianni Subba and in his most recent outing, a thorough drubbing of China's Li Wei Bin winning by corner stoppage.
Both Moraes and Toquero are looking to put notches in the win column but will have to go through each other to get it. Of the two, Moraes the former champion is slightly favored to win but Toquero is one of the Philippines' most talented fighters and should give Moraes a good run.
"I promised the fans that in my next fight, I would come back stronger than ever. This is my chance to prove it," said Moraes. "I'm going up against a fast, powerful and skillful opponent in Toquero and I don't plan to take him lightly."
Toquero is a former celebrity mixed martial arts and fitness coach in his native Manila. The 5'5" Filipino stalwart has a knack for highlight reel striking techniques and operates at a pace which opponents find hard to keep up with.
When he's not flipping his hair in the cage, which he does ever so often, Toquero is unleashing flashy and unorthodox strikes that throw opponents off their game.
"I always come to fight. I like action, I like to get the crowd up on their feet," said Toquero. "I fight to please the crowd. Win, lose or draw, what's important is that we do our part as fighters to entertain."
Moraes had his title reign cut short in his last bout, dropping a heartbreaking split decision to now incumbent ONE Flyweight World Champion Kairat Akhmetov. As champion, Moraes was skillful and dominant, and was rarely opposed inside the ONE Cage, but now that he's lost his title, Moraes has a chip on his shoulder.
"I'm coming to take my belt back, I shouldn't have lost it in the first place," said Moraes. "It was my fault but it won't ever happen again. Toquero is in my way and I'm going to obliterate him."