“I felt even more pressure” - Yuya Wakamatsu admits nerves got the best of him in first shot at flyweight MMA gold at ONE X

Yuya Wakamatsu is determined to undo the damage he did to himself when he first took a shot at ONE Championship gold.

The Japanese star will face off against old rival Adriano Moraes for the vacant ONE flyweight MMA world title as part of the stacked ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang card on Sunday at the historic Saitama Super Arena.

Wakamatsu's looming world title redux against Moraes is also his second shot at the flyweight MMA throne after he botched his first attempt at ONE X, ONE Championship's 10th-anniversary showcase, in 2022.

In an interview with ONE Championship, Wakamatsu admitted that his nerves got the better of him when he first challenged for the throne in Singapore.

"It was such a huge event, so I felt even more pressure. And I brought that mindset into the fight. I lost to my own weakness, that was exactly how I felt," said Yuya Wakamatsu.

'Little Piranha' was on fine form with five straight wins heading into his first matchup against Moraes, who then held the ONE flyweight MMA world title, but that momentum was derailed once 'Mikinho' got fired up.

Moraes' lethal ground game negated Wakamatsu's striking game plan, and he ultimately ended the match with a textbook guillotine choke in the third round of their March 2022 showdown.

Wakamatsu ultimately recovered from the defeat and now carries a three-fight winning streak into his world title rematch against Moraes.

ONE 172 is available live on pay-per-view at watch.onefc.com.

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Yuya Wakamatsu says loss to Adriano Moraes doesn't bother him ahead of ONE 172

Yuya Wakamatsu is adamant that he will get his redemption, one way or another.

In an interview with ONE Championship, Wakamatsu said that while the official records show that he lost to Adriano Moraes, he also believes that his negative attitude caused his defeat at ONE X.

Wakamatsu added that losing to Moraes doesn't bother him heading into ONE 172:

"I will not be bothered by the fact that I am fighting the opponent I lost to once. This does not make a difference, it is just to overcome my own weakness," said Wakamatsu.