ONE 173: “It’s really special”

Yuya Wakamatsu captured the ONE flyweight MMA world championship on home soil, and it’s only fitting that his first title defense will once again take place in front of his countrymen.

‘Little Piranha’ will look to deny strawweight MMA king Joshua ‘The Passion’ Pacio’s bid for two-division supremacy at ONE 173 on November 16.

Wakamatsu will once again feed off the energy of his passionate fans inside Ariake Arena in Tokyo to make sure 26 pounds of gold stays in Japan.

The symmetry of winning and possibly defending his belt, where it all started, holds profound personal significance for the 30-year-old champion.

The Tribe Tokyo MMA affiliate shared in a clip posted on his YouTube channel:

“Well, after claiming the belt in Japan, I’m really, really happy to be able to fight and defend it in Japan again. I’m really grateful that I’ll have a chance to put up a good fight in front of the Japanese fans. So it’s really special.”

Watch the full video:

Wakamatsu achieved his dreams with a spectacular first-round TKO victory over former champion Adriano Moraes at ONE 172 last March. It was truly a moment he will savor for the rest of his existence.

With the support of his devoted fans, Wakamatsu will look to create another core memory against the dangerous Filipino challenger at ONE 173.

Yuya Wakamatsu says he’ll top championship-winning performance in first title defense

As proud as Yuya Wakamatsu is for knocking out Adriano Moraes, he insists he’s not been resting on his laurels.

The feared Japanese knockout artist has further sharpened his blade at Tribe Tokyo MMA and will be gunning for another highlight finish of Joshua Pacio.

‘Little Piranha’ said in a ONE Championship pre-event interview:

“I want to surpass my strongest self from last time and fire up the crowd even more.”

Follow Sportskeeda and ONE Championship for the latest developments on Wakamatsu and Pacio’s champ vs. champ clash.