Yuya Wakamatsu ONE Championship: Yuya Wakamatsu suggests Adriano Moraes underestimated his striking heading into ONE 172: "I was ready to prove him wrong"

Yuya Wakamatsu suggests Adriano Moraes underestimated his striking heading into ONE 172: "I was ready to prove him wrong"

By Anatoly Pimentel

Modified Mar 30, 2025 08:23 GMT

Yuya Wakamatsu (left) and Adriano Moraes (right) | Image credit: ONE Championship

Yuya Wakamatsu thinks that Adriano Moraes made a huge mistake in their championship rematch at ONE 172 when he shrugged off the threat of the Japanese superstar's striking.

'Little Piranha' got one back against 'Mikinho' with a first-round TKO win to become the new undisputed king of the ONE flyweight MMA division at the packed Lumpinee Stadium crowd in Japan on March 23.

During his recent interview with My Navi News, Wakamatsu claimed that he added Moraes' belittling of his striking as a motivation to get the win, as he explained:

"Yes, that's right. If you were to outbox your opponent, you always stand a better chance at victory. He's so good, and even if he said that my striking wouldn't affect him, I was ready to prove him wrong and put it all on the line."

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Watch Yuya Wakamatsu's interview here:

Aside from avenging his defeat from the Brazilian submission specialist and capturing the 26-pound golden belt, the 30-year-old athlete has also recorded his fourth successive victory in the promotion.

Yuya Wakamatsu says that he was prepared for Adriano Moraes' signature knee strikes at ONE 172

The Tribe Tokyo MMA representative wasn't just wary of the American Top Team and Constrictor Team-affiliated athlete's elite grappling skills during their second meeting, he was also on the lookout for his patented knee strikes.

According to Wakamatsu, he needed to stay alert against it to avoid any danger in the striking exchanges, as he said during his interview with My Navi News in a recent interview:

"I think, based on the fight clip, he did try it twice, but I really felt like he was just feinting. And I was sure that Adriano would have landed a knee right after the takedown attempt. So I stayed a bit cautious before I caught him."

Fans can rewatch all the action from the ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang card via watch.onefc.com.

About the author

Anatoly is an MMA writer with six years of experience. He covers ONE Championship at Sportskeeda, where he has contributed over 1000 pieces. He previously served as the lead MMA writer for BetMGM’s blog.

Anatoly holds a bachelor's degree in communication, which he feels has had a significant impact on his career.

Jon Jones’ submission win over Lyoto Machida at UFC 140 in 2011 got him hooked to MMA. His favorite fighters include Eduard Folayang, Demetrious Johnson, Georges St-Pierre, Anderson Silva, and Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Anatoly provides Sportskeeda with exclusive pieces and has previously interviewed the former ONE flyweight MMA world champion, Adriano Moraes. While writing his pieces, he follows an extensive research process, referring only to credible sources like the UFC’s official website, Sherdog, and ESPN. He also likes to provide insights to his readers by keeping in mind important pillars of communication like media literacy and audience dynamics.

Anatoly advocates for a healthy and fit lifestyle by including boxing in his routine. He also loves to travel.

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Edited by Tejas Rathi