"I gravitated to it so much" - Gilbert Nakatani reveals how he started his martial arts journey in wrestling

Gilbert Nakatani, ONE Championship's latest addition to the stacked flyweight MMA division, can trace the origins of his MMA career back to him falling in love with wrestling as a ninth grader.

Speaking with the world's largest martial arts promotion, the 31-year-old talked about how wrestling changed the trajectory of his life:

"I liked to play football, baseball, soccer. I tried it all. I was just bouncing around, just trying to see what really enticed me."

He continued:

"When I got to high school, I didn't know anything about wrestling. I thought wrestling was like WWE. We used to watch it on TV. Once I met my coaches, and I got to see what real wrestling, high school and collegiate wrestling, what it really was about, I gravitated to it so much."

Starting his professional MMA career in July 2019, Nakatani thoroughly dominated the regional scene by posting six finishes in his eight victories. These performances captured the attention of ONE's upper management, leading to his upcoming debut.

Nakatani's wrestling abilities and punching power will be pushed to the limit when he takes on second-ranked ONE flyweight MMA competitor and former division world title challenger Yuya Wakamatsu at ONE Fight Night 26 on Dec. 6.

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Yuya Wakamatsu promises 'wildness and intelligence' in showdown with Gilbert Nakatani

Yuya Wakamatsu is going all out in training camp to give Gilbert Nakatani a rude welcome to ONE's 135-pound MMA division inside the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

'Little Piranha' posted his latest strength and conditioning training session on Instagram with the accompanying caption:

"Seventeen days left until the final battle. Horie-san's physical training 🏋️‍♀️Aiming for both wildness and intelligence ☯️"

ONE Fight Night 26 will air live and free to all Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.