“I will not be bothered” - Yuya Wakamatsu has already gotten past previous defeat at the hands of Adriano Moraes

Second-ranked ONE Championship flyweight MMA contender 'Little Piranha' Yuya Wakamatsu of Japan lost a lot of confidence when he dropped a third-round submission loss to Brazilian veteran 'Mikinho' Adriano Moraes three years ago.

The two met at the historic ONE X in March of 2022, where Wakamatsu surrendered to Moraes' grappling pressure. Since then, however, 'Little Piranha' has pieced together a nifty 3-1 run in the world's largest martial arts organization to earn back his place in the world title picture.

Now the two are ready to run it back for the vacant world title, and Wakamatsu is happy to have regained his confidence heading into his rematch with Moraes.

Speaking to ONE Championship in a recent interview, Wakamatsu says he has worked on his flaws and covered up the holes in his game.

'Little Piranha' said:

"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."

Wakamatsu and Moraes are set to go head-to-head in front of the Japanese star's hometown fans this weekend.

Yuya Wakamatsu and Adriano Moraes vie for vacant flyweight MMA gold at ONE 172 in Japan

The ONE flyweight MMA world title hangs in the balance as 'Little Piranha' Yuya Wakamatsu and Brazilian rival 'Mikinho' Adriano Moraes do battle for the vacant gold.

The two lock horns in a five-round war for the undisputed ONE flyweight MMA world title at ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang, which is set to broadcast live from the iconic Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan this Sunday, March 23.

Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action live via global pay-per-view by visiting watch.onefc.com.

Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for all the latest news and updates surrounding the event as it happens.