"I want to make this the best match ever" - Yuya Wakamatsu promises fireworks against Adriano Moraes at ONE 172

ONE Championship flyweight MMA mainstay Yuya Wakamatsu plans to make the most out of his opportunity to become the new king of the division when he stars in the co-main event of ONE 172 on March 23, 2025.

He will go head-to-head with former flyweight MMA king Adriano Moraes over the currently vacant ONE flyweight MMA crown inside the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

During the recently held press conference for ONE 172, 'Little Piranha' acknowledged the honor of competing in the marquee event's co-headliner:

"I will be performing in front of the other athletes in the co-main event, and it is truly an honor. I have put my whole life into martial arts, so much so that I am willing to give it my all. So yes, I want to make this the best match ever, please look forward to it."

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The second-ranked ONE 135-pound MMA competitor is coming off a three-round beatdown of promotional debutant Gilbert Naktani at ONE Fight Night 26 on Dec. 7.

Meanwhile, 'Mikinho' earned his 11th win in ONE with a second-round submission victory over Filipino rival Danny Kingad this past November.

Yuya Wakamatsu convinced he could have finished Gilbert Nakatani

Yuya Wakamatsu had his eye on claiming his fourth finish under the ONE banner during his battle with Gilbert Nakatani, but an illegal blow to the back of his head stunted his momentum.

After notching his eighth win in ONE, Wakamatsu spoke to the media in the post-fight interviews and said:

"I believe that I was in my prime condition until the moment that I got hit on the back of my head. That's like, until that, I was in my prime condition. But after getting hit in the back of my head, I couldn't remember much."