“I will overcome myself” - Yuya Wakamatsu says he has to break through his limits in world title rematch against Adriano Moraes

Yuya Wakamatsu must overcome his own limitations if he hopes to leave the legendary Saitama Super Arena with 26 pounds of gold.

This Sunday, March 23, ONE Championship heads back to Japan for ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang — the biggest fight card of 2025.

The event will feature five massive title tilts, including a clash between the No.2-ranked Wakamatsu and top-ranked Adriano Moraes for the vacant ONE flyweight MMA world championship.

It will be the second-ever meeting between Wakamatsu and Moraes on martial arts' biggest global stage — the first coming at the promotion's 10th-anniversary showcase ONE X in March 2022.

On that night, Moraes bested 'Little Piranha' via submission in the third round.

Since then, Wakamatsu has won three in a row, but he knows that if he hopes to capture his first ONE world title, he'll have to rise to the occasion like never before.

"Well, yes, now my feeling toward this rematch is that I regard this fight as whether I will overcome myself or not, a straightforward one," Yuya Wakamatsu told ONE in a recent interview.

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Yuya Wakamatsu has nothing but respect for Adriano Moraes

Yuya Wakamatsu walks into ONE 172 riding a wave of momentum, having scored a trio of noteworthy wins against Xie Wei, Danny Kingad, and Gilbert Nakatani.

Meanwhile, Moraes steps back into the Circle having dropped two of his last three, though to be fair, those two losses came against one of the best P4P fighters of all time, Demetrious Johnson.

Despite Moraes' struggles against 'Mighty Mouse,' Wakamatsu recognizes that 'Mikinho' is one of the greatest flyweights in the history of the sport and, as such, is a fighter he has immense respect for:

"Among the flyweight MMA class, Adriano is one of the greatest and he is someone I have huge respect for," Wakamatsu added.

Of course, that won't stop Wakamatsu from doing everything possible to defeat Moraes and become the new ONE flyweight MMA world champion.

Will 'Little Piranha' get the job done at ONE 172, or will Adriano Moraes go two-up on the Japanese star?

ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang will emanate from the Saitama Super Arena in Japan on Sunday, March 23. Head over to watch.onefc.com to catch the card live via pay-per-view.