'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAHAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUH/8QAFQEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAL/2gAMAwEAAhADEAAAAMjlCv/EACAQAAICAAYDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAECAwQABRESEyEiQWH/2gAIAQEAAT8At2cnms0p3pcaxwurbSVTtmAO0H1r0uAtRRomVRuo6DGdvL7j/8QAFhEAAwAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEh/9oACAECAQE/AFD/xAAVEQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASAP/aAAgBAwEBPwBO/9k='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Newly crowned ONE flyweight MMA world champion Yuya Wakamatsu has a variety of aces up his sleeve, but grappling isn't one of them.
Though the Japanese warrior has upgraded his ground game over the years, 'Little Piranha' always prefers to let his fists do the talking — as was the case at ONE 172 in Saitama, Japan, this past Sunday, March 23.
The Tribe Tokyo MMA affiliate stuck to his bread and butter to carve a route to victory and stun ex-longtime king Adriano Moraes in the opening round of their scheduled five-round contest.
Trending
Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more
Speaking to My Navi News, Yuya Wakamatsu admitted he was prepared for various scenarios to overcome 'Mikinho,' which also included a strict strategy to prevent Moreas from taking him into deep waters on the ground.
"I had a lot of images playing in my head on how I’d fight with Moraes on the ground. But, yeah, my ideal plan was to not let him bring the fight to his world. If he did, I know I would get caught there, and he’d start using his jiu-jitsu," the 30-year-old offered.
Wakamatsu now waits for his next challenge as the divisional king.
There are plenty of warriors in the upper echelons of the flyweight MMA bracket who would like to take a bite of his gold, but if he can produce more magical nights as he did inside the legendary Saitama Super Arena, it's hard to imagine him surrendering his throne anytime soon.
Watch the full interview here:
Yuya Wakamatsu is in the form of his life right now
Yuya Wakamatsu's evolution since suffering back-to-back defeats to Adriano Moraes and Woo Sung Hoon has truly been a work of art.
While his finish of Moraes last week was impressive, his pair of unanimous decision wins over Gilbert Nakatani and Danny Kingad really showed how far he's grown in his career.
Across the entire six rounds combined, the Tribe Tokyo MMA warrior displayed a lot of new stuff in his game, being comfortable with his back on the canvas, from the mount position, or in his ability to defend takedowns and efficiently throw strikes.
He's definitely grown by a mile, and if he can add more bite to his finishing abilities on the canvas, it's gonna be hard for anyone to find a way to beat him.
