Yuya Wakamatsu believes he was on his way to finishing Gilbert Nakatani before illegal blow: “I was in my prime condition”

Second-ranked ONE Championship flyweight MMA contender 'Little Piranha' Yuya Wakamatsu of Japan believes he was well on his way to finishing Gilbert Nakatani last weekend at ONE Fight Night 26 before an illegal blow derailed his momentum.

Wakamatsu complained of being hit on the back of the head in a fiery three-round flyweight MMA showdown with his Japanese-American counterpart. Still, 'Little Piranha' was able to come away with the unanimous decision victory after three tough rounds of action, and cemented his claim to the vacant divisional throne.

Speaking to the media at the official ONE Fight Night 26: Lee vs. Rasulov post-fight interviews, Wakamatsu continued his rant about the illegal blows to the back of the head.

'Little Piranha' said:

"I believe that I was in my prime condition until the moment that I got hit on the back of my head. That's like, until that, I was in my prime condition. But after getting hit in the back of my head, I couldn't remember much."

Needless to say, Wakamatsu turned in an impressive performance, and may have just booked his ticket back to ONE gold.

ONE Fight Night 26: Lee vs. Rasulov on Prime Video took place live from the historic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand this past Saturday, Dec. 7.

Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action via replay on-demand with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.

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Yuya Wakamatsu thanked fans for sticking by him through tough times: "That made me who I am today"

Yuya Wakamatsu could be on the cusp of a shot at the vacant ONE flyweight MMA world title left behind by the recently retired Demetrious Johnson. And he has his legions of Japanese fans to thank.

He told ONE Championship:

"So it's because of everyone who has been cheering for me that made me who I am today. And by fighting, by doing martial arts, I got to travel around the world. All I have to say is, I appreciate it. Thank you very much. And from now on, I'll keep on fighting. I'll show my existence to what I do. And even from now on, please do keep cheering for me. Thank you."

Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for all the latest news and updates surrounding Yuya Wakamatsu's next fight.