“I’m very mentally weak” - Yuya Wakamatsu hopes world title win serves as inspiration to those who lack confidence

Yuya Wakamatsu hopes that his title win at ONE 172 will help inspire those who lack confidence.

'Little Piranha' shocked the mixed martial arts world inside the Saitama Super Arena, scoring a first-round knockout over Adriano Moraes to capture the ONE flyweight MMA world championship.

Speaking with ONE color commentator Mitch Chilson immediately following the fight, Wakamatsu revealed that he considers himself to be a "mentally weak" person, but hopes that those who struggle with self-confidence can look toward his success for inspiration:

"In actuality, I’m a very weak person. I’m very mentally weak as well," Wakamatsu said. "But I want to show the people around the world who might be struggling with something that even somebody like me can have success like this."

Wakamatsu's win over Moraes not only earned him his first 26 pounds of gold, but he also avenged his submission loss against Moraes at the promotion's 10th-anniversary showcase ONE X in March 2022.

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Yuya Wakamatsu still can't believe he's a ONE world champion

24 hours after the event, Yuya Wakamatsu was still trying to wrap his head around being the ONE flyweight MMA world champion — a dream he started pursuing a dozen years ago:

"I was able to wear the championship belt, which was my dream," Wakamatsu wrote on Instagram. "When I came to Tokyo 12 years ago, I never thought this day would come, so it feels like I'm still in a dream.

He continued, writing:

"Looking back, I think it was really just a fight against my weak self. I really think that I was able to get this far thanks to the wonderful people around me who supported me, my family and friends who always believed in me and supported me."

Now that he's climbed to the top of the mountain, Wakamatsu will have a massive target on his back as fighters in the flyweight top five will look for an opportunity to dethrone the Japanese fan favorite.

If you missed any of the action, you can watch the full ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang replay on demand via watch.onefc.com.