Yuya Wakamatsu fired up to start his tenure as the ONE flyweight MMA world champion: “I’ll face anyone”

Yuya Wakamatsu plans on being a fighting champion.

ONE 172 saw the Japanese star finally capture his first 26 pounds of gold, defeating eight-time titleholder Adriano Moraes to capture the ONE flyweight MMA world championship.

It was a stunning victory that sent his hometown crowd inside the iconic Saitama Super Arena into an absolute frenzy.

Now that Wakamatsu is sitting atop the flyweight MMA mountain, he's more than willing to face anyone who dares try to knock him back down. Speaking to My Navi News, Wakamatsu said:

"I’ll face anyone. If it’s someone who’s prepared, it doesn’t matter who the opponent is."

With the victory at ONE 172, Wakamatsu extended his unbeaten streak to four and avenged a loss against Moraes at ONE X in March 2022.

It was also his fourth win by knockout inside the Circle and his first finish since pummeling Xie Wei at ONE Fight Night 12 back in July 2023.

---

Yuya Wakamatsu commends Adriano Moraes on a well-deserved legacy following ONE 172

Despite his loss at ONE 172, Adriano Moraes is without a doubt one of the greatest flyweight champions in mixed martial arts history.

Taking to Instagram following the biggest win of his career, Yuya Wakamatsu praised 'Mikinho' for showing him—and the rest of the world—what it truly means to be a champion. He wrote:

"My opponent, Adriano Moraes, as the absolute champion of ONE, has been through many more hardships than I have. He has taught me many things and left me with the image of a champion. I'm really glad I was able to fight him."

If you missed any of the action, you can watch the full ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang replay on demand via watch.onefc.com.