Denver: ONE Championship kicked off a historic week with a press conference for today's ONE Fight Night 10: Johnson v Moraes III at the Paramount Theater.
In attendance was ONE Championship chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong.
He was joined by the top athletes competing at the event, including reigning ONE flyweight world champion Demetrious Johnson and his opponent, former title-holder Adriano Moraes, as well as ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion Mikey Musumeci and ONE flyweight Muay Thai world champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon, among others.
Chatri said: "When I started ONE a little over 11 years ago, I had a simple dream. As a lifelong martial artist -- 38 years in Muay Thai and 16 years of jiu-jitsu -- this is my greatest passion in life and I just want to spread the beauty of martial arts.
"Asia is the birthplace of martial arts for the past 5,000 years and ONE is the home of martial arts, the greatest martial artists on the planet, full stop, across multiple disciplines.
"What makes us so unique, so different -- and I promise you American fans are gonna be blown away -- is not only do we have the greatest world championship martial artists on the planet, but we [also] showcase their stories, their achievements. We celebrate values that every family can celebrate with their kids and their grandkids. And of course, we unleash real-life superheroes who ignite the world with hope, strength, dreams, and inspiration."
Johnson said: "It's a huge moment. The last time I fought on this stage was in 2018 against Henry Cejudo. Everyone thought I won that fight. I told him I won, but I said he can have it.
"Now, I get to come back here after five years in Asia. I'm super grateful. My kids get to watch me fight. My mother-in-law, father-in-law, everybody's going to see me compete, so I'm super excited and I'm happy to headline [this] card."
Moraes said: "I've been fighting in Asia for 10 years and I've always wanted to fight in America. I think it's going to be really good for my legacy. I'm really excited for my US debut too. I think I learned [from fighting Johnson] that one day you are the champion and another day you are a challenger. You know, life goes on.
"I think we need to be grateful every single day and be thankful to be healthy doing what you love to do. What's really good for me is I have another opportunity to showcase [my skills]. I'm healthy and ready to go."
ONE Fight Night 10: Johnson v Moraes III goes down at 1stBank Center today.