3 fights to make for newly crowned ONE flyweight MMA world champion Yuya Wakamatsu

Yuya Wakamatsu is fired up to start his tenure as the ONE flyweight MMA world champion.

'Little Piranha' headed back home to Tokyo with 26 pounds of gold firmly tucked in his suitcase after stunning former longtime divisional king Adriano Moraes during their world title tiff at ONE 172 inside the Saitama Super Arena last Sunday, March 23.

Yuya Wakamatsu was in the driver's seat as soon as the floodgates opened, and it only took the 30-year-old 3 minutes and 39 seconds to avenge his previous loss to the Brazilian martial artist, capture his first MMA crown, and create history in 'The Land of the Rising Sun'.

While there are endless possibilities for Yuya Wakamatsu next, three clear contenders stand heads and shoulders above the rest of the chasing pack.

Without further ado, here are three fights to make for Yuya Wakamatsu, who shocked the world and proved the doubters wrong at ONE 172 last week.

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#3. Danny Kingad

Danny Kingad welcomed Yuya Wakamatsu to the world's largest martial arts organization with a dominant unanimous decision win at ONE: Conquest of Heroes in September 2018.

However, much has changed since then. Kingad has only won five of his nine subsequent assignments and suffered a loss to Yuya Wakamatsu in their rematch at ONE 165 in January last year.

'Little Piranha', on the other hand, has come out victorious in nine of his 12 fights since.

The Lions Nation MMA fighter might need to rack up a couple more wins to get his chance at a rubber match.

But if things go his way in the coming months, a trilogy between the pair does sound like an interesting fight to make, given how closely contested their previous encounters were.

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#2. Sanzhar Zakirov

Sanzhar Zakirov may be a dark horse on this list, but the Uzbekistani warrior, who decided to make a permanent move to the flyweight division after beating Tatsumitsu Wada, is a force to be reckoned with.

The 21-year-old Uzbekistani athlete spots a 15-0 slate, with five of those victories coming against the very best in the promotion.

His all-around abilities could be a handful for Wakamatsu, who typically relies on his solid tools in the striking department to get the job done.

'Tornado' has quick counters, a good understanding of switching levels, and the ability to use feints.

While Yuya Wakamatsu may be a significant step up in competition, the Khaturaev Team affiliate has been knocking on the door of a world title shot after some impressive displays.

Maybe another victory over Bokang Masunyane at ONE Fight Night 30 on April 4 could land him that elusive ticket to 26 pounds of gold.

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#1. Adriano Moraes

Though he may have just leveled the series with Moraes, this remains the one clear fight to make.

Moraes, who still holds the top-ranked spot, has practically wiped out the entire division, and there's no reason not to give the promotion's most successful man in the weight bracket a chance to avenge his ONE 172 loss to 'Little Piranha'.

'Mikinho', after all, did beat him with relative ease at ONE X, and if he can find a winning formula, the 26 pounds of gold may switch hands once more.

That said, Yuya Wakamatsu has been in tip-top shape, and if he has more nights as he did inside the Saitama Super Arena down the road, it's hard to see anyone knocking the Japanese talent off his perch.

Who would you like to see Yuya Wakamatsu face in his first assignment as the flyweight MMA king? Let us know below!

Fight fans can catch his stunning finish of Moraes and the entire ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang card via replay at watch.onefc.com.