“I will bet everything” - Yuya Wakamatsu lays it all on the line in world title match against Adriano Moraes at ONE 172 in Tokyo

Yuya Wakamatsu is laying it all on the line when he takes his second shot at ONE Championship gold.

The Japanese star will take on Adriano Moraes for the vacant ONE flyweight MMA world title at ONE 172 on March 23, 2025, at Saitama Super Arena.

Taking to Instagram, the No. 2-ranked flyweight MMA contender said his match against Moraes would be the most important fight of his career and that failure would never be an option for him in Saitama.

Yuya Wakamatsu wrote:

"Press conference announcing the match. It has been decided that the world title match will take place on March 23rd at Saitama Super Arena⚡️ I will bet everything I have achieved so far on this challenge. I will definitely become the champion and prove that I am the strongest in the world. Please support me!"

Wakamatsu's impending world title match against Moraes, the No.1-ranked contender in the division, will be the second time he takes a shot at the flyweight MMA throne.

Moraes was the then-holder of the ONE flyweight MMA world title when Wakamatsu challenged him for the strap at ONE X in March 2022.

Wakamatsu, however, fell short when he lost to Moraes via third-round submission in ONE Championship's 10th-anniversary showcase in Singapore.

'Little Piranha' has since recovered from the loss and is coming off three straight wins against Xie Wei, Danny Kingad, and Gilbert Nakatani.

Moraes, meanwhile, is coming off a sublime submission finish over Kingad at ONE 169 in November.

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Yuya Wakamatsu says there's a special kind of reverence fighting inside Saitama Super Arena

Few stadiums on the planet hold a certain mystique, and the Saitama Super Arena is one of them.

The 36,500-seater arena hosted some of the most seminal moments in combat sports, and Yuya Wakamatsu is ready to write his chapter within the hallowed halls of the Japanese sporting venue.

Wakamatsu said in the ONE 172 press conference that he used to watch the legendary PRIDE FC hold its massive shows at Saitama Super Arena, and he knows he'll feel the aura of the past once he steps between the ropes.

"The merits of the ring are just vague, but I think it’s advantageous for strikers. Also, I have a great affinity with the ring, and this time, PRIDE was held at the Super Arena, so there’s something wonderful about that, too."