“I could feel that energy” - Yuya Wakamatsu says winning title in Japan alongside Masaaki Noiri was a once-in-a-lifetime moment

ONE 172 was a big night for the Japanese combat sports scene, and Yuya Wakamatsu was right in the middle of it.

On the same card where Japanese legend Masaaki Noiri captured the interim featherweight kickboxing world title, Wakamatsu pulled off a career-defining win to claim the ONE flyweight MMA world championship.

Even though the two didn't share many words backstage, the newly-crowned MMA king says there was something special about sharing that moment: both holding world titles, doing it on home soil, and representing the land of the rising sun in the biggest martial arts promotion in the world.

"There was a press conference right away after the match," Yuya Wakamatsu told My Navi News. "So even though we didn't talk much, I could feel that energy even without exchanging words with him."

Watch the full interview below:

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“It was everyone’s strength” - Yuya Wakamatsu dedicates world title win in Saitama to Tribe Tokyo MMA crew

Fighting may seem like an individual sport, but many fighters would argue that it's a team effort - and Yuya Wakamatsu is one of these people.

The Japanese standout made sure to credit Tribe Tokyo MMA, the gym that shaped him into the athlete he is today. Everyone who had a hand in getting him ready... he carried them all into the Circle that night.

"Thanks to that [my solid plan and team behind me], I was able to become a world champion," Wakamatsu said. "But, you know, it wasn’t just me, it was everyone’s strength, and I think that was the reason I was able to win the match. That kind of strength can’t be produced alone."

Yuya Wakamatsu claimed the ONE flyweight MMA world title via a first-round knockout over Brazilian Adriano Moraes. See him in action at ONE 172: Japan, available for replay on watch.onefc.com.