“The spirit of the samurai” - Yuya Wakamatsu explains what makes Japanese fighters the embodiment of true warriors

Yuya Wakamatsu is proud to represent Japanese martial arts on the global stage, banking he said on the Bushido spirit embodied by samurai warriors. It is the same mentality that he will be bringing when he makes another go at the ONE flyweight MMA world title later this month.

'Little Piranha' takes on once again former flyweight king Adriano Moraes for the currently vacant world title in the 135-pound division at ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang on March 23 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

In an interview with ONE Championship, Wakamatsu spoke about the qualities that separate Japanese fighters from the rest of the world and how he tries to live up to them every time he goes to battle.

The 30-year-old Tribe Tokyo MMA standout said:

"What is special about Japanese fighters compared to foreign fighters is what is called Bushido, the spirit of the samurai we share from ancient times. Japanese people were historically mentally strong enough to do seppuku. So, this spirit is in our DNA, and we will present it to the world this time."

Entering ONE 172, Yuya Wakamatsu is packing a lot of momentum, winning his last three matches, which only solidified further his standing as a world title contender.

ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang is available live on pay-per-view via watch.onefc.com.

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Yuya Wakamatsu vows to bring better version of himself in rematch with Adriano Moraes

The title clash between Yuya Wakamatsu and Adriano Moraes at ONE 172 is actually a rematch of their first encounter three years ago and the former vows to bring a better version of himself this time around.

The two collided in March 2022 for the ONE flyweight MMA belt, which 'Mikinho' was still holding then. The Japanese fighter tried his best to seize the world title but fell in the third round by way of submission (guillotine choke).

Speaking to ONE Championship, Yuya Wakamatsu admitted that he approached the match first time around wrongly and paid for it.

The Kagoshima native said:

"What I thought when I tapped out was, I actually felt like I was giving up, like I was heading to lose, not to win, as if I was going to lose on my own choice then. I tapped out at that time because that was a weaker version of me."

Moraes-Wakamatsu II is one of five world title fights on tap at ONE 172, which will see ONE Championship return to Japan for the second straight year.