“It’s like defending my home turf” - Yuya Wakamatsu fully determined to spoil Gilbert Nakatani’s ONE Championship debut in Bangkok

Yuya Wakamatsu is determined to show Gilbert Nakatani a rude welcome to ONE Championship.

The Japanese knockout artist will take on the debuting Nakatani in a flyweight MMA contest at the stacked ONE Fight Night 26 card on Friday, US primetime, at the historic Lumpinee Stadium.

In an interview with ONE Championship, Wakamatsu said he feels he's defending his home turf against the incoming threat Nakatani would bring to their Bangkok matchup.

Wakamatsu, who's been with ONE Championship since 2018, added his mere experience in the promotion would give him enough of an advantage over Nakatani.

"It could be risky, depending on how you look at it. But I feel I have an advantage because of the experience I’ve gained competing in ONE. It’s like defending my home turf – I have a strong determination not to lose," said Yuya Wakamatsu.

Coming off two pivotal wins, Wakamatsu is determined to strengthen his bid for the vacant ONE flyweight MMA world title.

The number two-ranked flyweight MMA contender scored a first-round knockout finish over China's Xie Wei at ONE Fight Night 12. He followed it up with a dominant unanimous decision win over Danny Kingad at ONE 165.

A win over Nakatani in Bangkok could give huge dividends to Wakamatsu's bid for the throne. It would be intriguing to see how 'Little Piranha' deals with the oncoming danger that the American slugger would bring.

ONE Fight Night 26 is available live and free to all Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.

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Reece McLaren backs Yuya Wakamatsu to come out victorious against Gilbert Nakatani

If there's one fighter who knows the full capabilities of Yuya Wakamatsu, it's Reece McLaren.

The number four-ranked flyweight MMA contender fell to Wakamatsu at ONE on TNT III, and he expects his former nemesis to come out on top against Gilbert Nakatani at ONE Fight Night 26.

In an interview with Sportskeeda MMA, McLaren said:

"I think Yuya will win that. I think out of all of us, he's one of the more well-improved. I think he had lots of room to improve, and he's made those improvements. Man, Yuya has impressed me."