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Yuya Wakamatsu has learned a lot from his first loss to Adriano Moraes as he gears up for their hotly anticipated rematch at ONE 172 this Sunday, March 23.
'Little Piranha looks to upset the Brazilian fighter, even the series, and leave the iconic Saitama Super Arena with the vacant ONE flyweight MMA world championship. As daunting as it is, the Tribe Tokyo MMA product is up to the task.
Before he attempts to pull one back against Moraes, Yuya Wakamatsu disclosed to the promotion what he thinks led to his late third-round submission loss to the Brazilian veteran at ONE X in Singapore:
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"I lost to my own weakness. I still remember...this was how I felt. When I had to tap? Yes. Well, when I tapped at that moment, true, the weakness in myself showed up, then I ended up tapping out."
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Per his track record since, it's safe to say the Japanese fighter has leveled up as he seeks to claim world title glory in his career for the first time.
Though he went on to drop another match after losing to Moraes inside the Singapore Indoor Stadium, the 30-year-old fighter is on a roll of three successive triumphs against Xie Wei, Danny Kingad, and Gilbert Nakatani heading into ONE 172.
Will he make it four in a row and lay his hands on 26 pounds of gold or will 'Mikinho' have his number once more?
Adriano Moraes believes his all-around prowess gives him the edge over Yuya Wakamatsu
Separately, Adriano Moraes detailed his path to reclaiming the ONE flyweight MMA world title and disappointing Yuya Wakamatsu in Saitama, Japan.
He told the world's largest martial arts organization:
"I've been training a lot. I believe that my Muay Thai is better than his, and I was able to show that a little in our first fight. And I've been improving my striking a lot. And of course my Jiu-Jitsu. My Jiu-Jitsu is much better than his, and I believe that will be the key to beating him again."
ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang will be available via pay-per-view at watch.onefc.com.
