Adriano Moraes-Yuya Wakamatsu rematch for vacant flyweight MMA crown headed to ONE 172 in Japan on March 23

Former kingpin Adriano Moraes will have a massive opportunity to reclaim his crown in Q1 of 2025.

The top-ranked Brazilian goes toe-to-toe with No.2-ranked Yuya Wakamatsu for the vacant ONE flyweight MMA world championship in the co-main event of ONE 172 inside the Saitama Super Arena on March 23, which marks the promotion's return to Japan.

Their five-round scrap was made official together with the blockbuster headline attraction between Takeru Segawa and Rodtang Jitmuangnon during the official ONE 172 press conference yesterday.

'Mikinho' earned his shot at the vacant 26 pounds of gold with a vintage performance against Danny Kingad at ONE 169 this past November.

After suffering back-to-back world title losses to now-retired divisional king Demetrious Johnson, the 36-year-old had plenty to prove in his return inside the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

Adriano Moraes, however, put that matter to rest by suffocating the Filipino warrior with a guillotine choke at 4:14 of round two, thus putting an end to his two-match skid and moving to 2-0 in his rivalry with Kingad.

With a fight to regain his flyweight crown now locked in, the American Top Team and Constrictor Team affiliate (21-5) should be more than game to impress when ONE returns to the "Land of the Rising Sun" in March next year.

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Yuya Wakamatsu has been on a tear since world title loss to Adriano Moraes

Adriano Moraes may have the blueprint to overcome Wakamatsu, having defended his crown against the latter with a third-round submission at ONE X in March 2022, but the Japanese star has gone from strength to strength since that match.

'Little Piranha' absorbed another loss to Woo Sung Hoon in November of that year before going on a three-match win streak against Xie Wei, Danny Kingad, and Gilbert Nakatani.

He has made drastic upgrades to his world-class arsenal, and when the time for talking is over, he's ready to even the series and become the new face of the flyweight MMA division inside the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

Fans eager to secure tickets for ONE 172 can follow this link.