“A great contender” - Adriano Moraes lauds Yuya Wakamatsu for climbing the ladder again after failed title bid

Former undisputed ONE flyweight MMA world champion and now current first-ranked contender 'Mikinho' Adriano Moraes of Brazil believes his upcoming opponent, past rival 'Little Piranha' Yuya Wakamatsu of Japan, has kept his status at the top of the ranks impressively.

Moraes and Wakamatsu first met at the historic ONE X in 2022, with 'Mikinho' winning via submission to retain his then gold. But since then, the Japanese star has continued to maintain his place as a world title contender.

Speaking to ONE Championship in a recent interview, Moraes gave props to Wakamatsu ahead of their highly anticipated rematch next weekend.

The Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt said:

"He [Wakamatsu] is on a three-fight winning streak, he's a very tough athlete and he's been climbing the division rankings. With the arrival of the Japanese public, with ONE Championship holding this event in Japan, he's definitely becoming a great contender for this title fight."

Needless to say, fans can't wait to see the second fight between Adriano Moraes and Yuya Wakamatsu, which will crown a new flyweight MMA king.

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Adriano Moraes to face Yuya Wakamatsu in rematch for vacant flyweight MMA gold at ONE 172

No.1-ranked ONE Championship flyweight MMA contender 'Mikinho' Adriano Moraes of Brazil is set to face No.2-ranked 'Little Piranha' Yuya Wakamatsu of Japan for the vacant ONE flyweight MMA world title.

The two lock horns at ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang, which will be broadcast live from the iconic Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action live via global pay-per-view on watch.onefc.com.

Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for all the latest news and updates surrounding the Adriano Moraes vs. Yuya Wakamatsu fight as it happens.