"It still feels surreal" - Yuya Wakamatsu admits historic flyweight world title win over Adriano Moraes hasn’t fully sunk in

Yuya Wakamatsu is still trying to come to terms with his new status as a ONE world champion.

Returning to the ring at ONE 172 in Japan, 'Little Piranha' scored a stunning first-round knockout against former eight-time titleholder Adriano Moraes to capture the ONE flyweight MMA world championship.

Now, a month removed from the biggest win of his mixed martial arts career, Wakamatsu is still trying to wrap his head around what he accomplished inside the iconic Saitama Super Arena. Speaking to My Navi News, Wakamatsu said:

"Looking at the amount of messages and texts I've been getting, I feel like I've accomplished a really big goal. It's starting to sink in little by little. Even now, I must say it still feels surreal."

Aside from capturing his first ONE world championship, Wakamatsu also avenged the loss he suffered against Adriano Moraes at the promotion's 10th-anniversary showcase, ONE X, in March 2022.

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Yuya Wakamatsu isn't thinking about his next opponent—yet

Sitting atop the flyweight throne, Yuya Wakamatsu has a sizeable target on his back.

As for what comes next, 'Little Piranha' is content to sit back and bask in his success over Moraes, for now:

"For now, I'm happy with my win and the title I got over Adriano Moraes. I haven't thought about anything yet in the future, but I'm thankful for all my teammates and everyone who helped me get here."

With a stacked flyweight top five, including Danny Kingad, Reece McLaren, Hu Yong, and Sanzhar Zakirov, who would you like to see Wakamatsu put his gold on the line against later this year?

If you missed any of the action, you can watch the full ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang replay on demand via watch.onefc.com.