“It can be anyone” - Yuya Wakamatsu says his next opponent won’t matter as long as there’s championship gold on the line

Image provided by ONE Championship
Image provided by ONE Championship

After winning three in a row, Yuya Wakamatsu doesn't care who he fights next — so long as 26 pounds of ONE Championship gold is on the line.

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Returning to the iconic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok at ONE Fight Night 26, Wakamatsu added yet another hard-fought victory to his resume, besting newcomer Gilbert Nakatani via unanimous decision and solidifying his spot as the second-ranked contender in ONE's talent-rich flyweight MMA division.

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With wins against the likes of Reece McLaren, Hu Yong, Xie Wei, Danny Kingad, and now Nakatani over the last five years, 'Little Piranha' hopes that a shot at the vacant ONE flyweight MMA world championship is next.

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During his post-fight interview, Wakamatsu made it clear that the promotion is welcome to match him up with anyone as long as it offers him the opportunity to become a ONE world champion for the first time in his career.

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"And for my next opponent, it can be anyone," he said shortly after his win at ONE Fight Night 26. "I just want the belt for this moment of time. I'll just go back, retrain, and come back again."

Is a rematch between Yuya Wakamatsu and Adriano Moraes the fight to make at flyweight?

Currently, the ONE flyweight MMA world championship lies vacant after former titleholder Demetrious 'Mighty Mouse' Johnson retired from the sport in September.

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Since then, former eight-time flyweight king Adriano Moraes has climbed back into the win column, scoring a quick-fire submission victory over the aforementioned Danny Kingad at ONE 169 in Thailand.

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With Moraes sitting as the top-ranked contender at flyweight and Yuya Wakamatsu holding things down as the division's second-ranked contender, a showdown between the two of them for the vacant crown makes a lot of sense.

Their pairing would also serve as a rematch after Moraes landed a third-round submission victory over Wakamatsu at the promotion's 10th-anniversary showcase — ONE X — in March 2022.

Is Adriano Moraes vs. Yuya Wakamatsu for the ONE flyweight MMA world championship the fight to make, or is there another more deserving contender out there?

If you missed any of the action, ONE Championship fans in the United States and Canada can watch the ONE Fight Night 26 replay on demand via Amazon Prime Video.

Follow One Championship News, Schedule & Results at Sportskeeda.

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Edited by Anurag Mitra
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