“It would have been bad” - Yuya Wakamatsu feels relieved after avoiding major upset against ONE debutant Gilbert Nakatani

Yuya Wakamatsu was relieved to leave Lumpinee Stadium with a win at ONE Fight Night 26.

After winning back-to-back bouts against Xie Wei and Danny Kingad, 'Little Piranha' put his spot as the flyweight MMA division's second-ranked contender on the line against ONE Championship newcomer Gilbert Nakatani.

Despite Nakatani's best efforts, it was Wakamatsu who walked away with the win, landing a unanimous decision victory over the 31-year-old standout.

Speaking with Nick Atkin of the Bangkok Post shortly after his victory, Wakamatsu was relieved to get the win over Nakatani, noting that a loss against the unranked debutant could have "been bad" for his status as a top-five contender:

"First of all I feel very assured because I won against him if I lost him it would have been bad".

Check out the full interview below:

Solidifying his spot as the second-ranked contender in the division, Wakamatsu could very well be in line for a shot at the ONE flyweight MMA world championship which remains vacant following Demetrious Johnson's retirement from the sport in September.

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Yuya Wakamatsu willing to give credit where credit is due

Though he ultimately came out on top after going three hard rounds with Nakatani at ONE Fight Night 26, it didn't come without some adversity. Still, Yuya Wakamatsu prevailed, earning his 18th career victory and eighth under the ONE Championship banner.

Following their contest, 'Little Piranha' had nothing but positive things to say about Nakatani's toughness and well-rounded skill set:

"First of all, I would like to thank you Gilbert. You're a very tough opponent. Second, thank you ONE Championship and all the staff that prepared this amazing run for me to fight on."

"And third, I know my opponent this time was very tough, very strong, very durable. He's also very good at striking on the ground. But as I've said, I've been training my mental strength and I have always been working on things that I have to be better [at] and it's been working."

With three straight wins and a favorable spot in the flyweight MMA top five, is a shot at the division's top prize next for the Japanese star?

If you missed any of the action, ONE Championship fans in the United States and Canada can watch the ONE Fight Night 26 replay on demand via Amazon Prime Video.