ONE Fight Night 26 results and recap: Yuya Wakamatsu vs. Gilbert Nakatani

Current number two-ranked flyweight MMA contender Yuya Wakamatsu defends his position at the top five rankings match, as he took on the promotional debutant Gilbert Nakatani inside the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, as part of the thrilling ONE Fight Night 26 card on Friday evening.

The American looks to send shockwaves throughout the weight class by scoring a massive upset of the Japanese knockout artist and barging his way into the divisional rankings.

See the blow-by-blow action for this MMA bout.

Round 1: Both exchanged solid kicks in the opening phase of the match. Wakamatsu went for a takedown and was successful in his attempt and secured it in just under a minute. However, Nakatani was able to pop back up on his feet.

The promotional debutant flexed his striking and power by attacking Wakamatsu's head and lead leg with punches and kicks. Two minutes into the match, the American landed a vicious elbow strike that clipped Wakamatsu momentarily.

But the ranked athlete retaliated by flaunting his power with his elite boxing that stunned Nakatani multiple times. The back-and-forth action continued in the last minute of the opening round, with Wakamatsu landing significant punches and Nakatani securing a powerful takedown.

Round 2: In the second round, Wakamatsu changed his fighting approach. He fought from the outside and touched Nakatani's lead leg with calf kicks. Nakatani tried to close the distance and engaged in a clinch battle, but the Japanese quickly broke it up.

The precision of Wakamatsu's strikes continued in the round, but Nakatani tried to counter it with his output and volume to try and overwhelm his opponent. In the latter end of the round, Wakamatsu busted a massive cut on Nakatani's forehead with several head kicks that he connected.

With blood pouring down on his face, Nakatani blitzed Wakamatsu in the last 30 seconds and closed the distance. He found success in that approach and got the attention of his Japanese opposition.

Round 3: With Nakatani looking gassed out, Wakamatsu swarmed him with his atomic punches, and he scored a knockdown against the American. From there, Wakamatsu was able to smother him with ground and pound strikes.

The perseverance and heart of Nakatani were on full display because he was able to recover and tried several submission attempts, specifically an armbar and an arm-triangle choke.

In the last 90 seconds of the match, both fighters tried to take out each other with a firefight in the middle of the ring, but they couldn't deliver a finish against each other and eventually reached the final bell to hear the judges' scorecards.

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ONE Fight Night 26 - Yuya Wakamatsu vs. Gilbert Nakatani official result

Yuya Wakamatsu extended his current win streak to three after beating American debutant Gilbert Nakatani in their exciting flyweight MMA clash at ONE Fight Night 26 inside the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on Friday evening.

'Little Piranha' utilized his well-rounded skills to give Nakatani different looks throughout the match - he won most of the striking exchanges and grappling scrambles.

His best moment was when he opened a big cut on the American's forehead, which became a point of attack for him for the rest of the match. Eventually, the number two-ranked divisional contender got the unanimous decision nod from the judges.

Yuya Wakamatsu defeated Gilbert Nakatani via unanimous decision in their flyweight MMA fight.