ONE Championship fans are still in disbelief at how second-ranked ONE flyweight MMA competitor Yuya Wakamatsu ascended to the top of the 135-pound MMA division at ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang on Sunday, March 23.
Happening at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, 'Little Piranha' caught former ONE flyweight MMA world champion Adriano Moraes against the ropes and started teeing off on him.
After dropping 'Mikinho' with a flurry, Wakamatsu continued his torrential downpour of punches that forced referee Herb Dean to stop the bout at the 3:39 mark of the opening round to capture the then-vacant ONE flyweight MMA world championship.
Watch Yuya Wakamatsu's celebration below in a video shared by ONE on Instagram:
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ONE flyweight MMA star Fritz Biagtan was one of the first to congratulate Wakamatsu on his victory in the comments section:
"Shocked the world 🔥"
Fans soon followed with their own words of admiration for the Tribe Tokyo MMA product:
"MONSTER."
"Great performance 🔥🔥 and glad we have an exciting new champion in the division 🙌"
"Yuya deserved every bit of this W. Congrats!"
"Seriously, this has been one of the best cards ever."
![Screenshot of comments. [ONE Championship/Instagram]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/03/f14e9-17428083245996-1920.jpg?w=190 190w, https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/03/f14e9-17428083245996-1920.jpg?w=720 720w, https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/03/f14e9-17428083245996-1920.jpg?w=640 640w, https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/03/f14e9-17428083245996-1920.jpg?w=1045 1045w, https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/03/f14e9-17428083245996-1920.jpg?w=1200 1200w, https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/03/f14e9-17428083245996-1920.jpg?w=1460 1460w, https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/03/f14e9-17428083245996-1920.jpg?w=1600 1600w, https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/03/f14e9-17428083245996-1920.jpg 1920w)
The full replay of ONE 172 is available via watch.onefc.com.
Yuya Wakamatsu exacts revenge on Adriano Moraes
Yuya Wakamatsu's monumental victory at ONE 172 had an extra layer of sweetness for the Japanese star, as it led to him leveling his head-to-head series with Adriano Moraes at one win apiece.
At ONE X in March 2022, Wakamatsu challenged then-reigning Moraes for the ONE flyweight MMA world championship after forging a five-fight winning streak. Despite a solid performance, the Brazilian great submitted him via guillotine choke in round three.
Now the new king of ONE's vaunted 135-pound MMA division, Wakamatsu is set to embark on his quest to defend the throne from all comers.