“Shut up!” - Yuya Wakamatsu fires back at Danny Kingad for saying he isn’t ready for a title shot

‘Little Piranha’ Yuya Wakamatsu didn’t take kindly to recent comments made by Danny ‘The King’ Kingad regarding his readiness to compete for the world title.

The Team Lakay star, who sits at No. 2 in the flyweight rankings, one spot above Yuya Wakamatsu in the world title pecking order, said previously that he doesn’t think the Japanese star deserves a shot at the belt just yet.

While he respects Yuya Wakamatsu as a fighter, the Filipino says he has “a long way to go before he gets a world title shot.”

This obviously irked Yuya Wakamatsu to the point where he felt compelled to respond. Speaking to ONE Championship’s Michael Schiavello in a recent interview, Wakamatsu sounded off on Kingad’s comments.

“Well, I guess he should wait and shut up until he beats Kairat [Akhmetov]. And he hasn’t even had a match for so long. I think the times are changing, right? We are moving forward. Please tell him that!”

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Is a potential rematch between Yuya Wakamatsu and Danny Kingad on the cards?

Yuya Wakamatsu is scheduled to return to action at ONE: Winter Warriors, which broadcasts live from the Singapore Indoor Stadium this Friday, December 3. He will face China’s Hu Yong in a pivotal flyweight battle.

Meanwhile, Kingad returns after nearly two years away from competition to face longtime rival, former ONE flyweight world champion and current No. 4-ranked flyweight Kairat Akhmetov in the main event of ONE: Winter Warriors II. That event broadcasts two weeks later on December 17 via tape delay.

If Yuya Wakamatsu and Danny Kingad are both victorious in their upcoming bouts, there’s no reason why they can’t run it back in the Circle sometime in 2022. Kingad defeated Wakamatsu in September 2018, more than three years ago, and the two martial artists have vastly improved since then.

Both Yuya Wakamatsu and Danny Kingad are looking at a shot at either reigning ONE flyweight world champion Adriano Moraes or No. 1-ranked flyweight, MMA legend Demetrious Johnson. However, with Johnson training for a special rules match against Rodtang Jitmuangnon at ONE X, the first option is likely and available.