Yuya Wakamatsu admits superfight against Joshua Pacio was a shock: “I really couldn’t imagine that it would happen”

Newly crowned reigning and undisputed ONE flyweight MMA world champion ‘Little Piranha’ Yuya Wakamatsu of Japan couldn’t believe his eyes when he signed on the dotted line for his first world title defense.

On the contract, he saw ONE strawweight MMA world champion ‘The Passion’ Joshua Pacio across his name.

Speaking in a recent interview on YouTube, Wakamatsu shared his initial shock at facing the Filipino superstar.

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‘Little Piranha’ said:

“When I first heard that I would be fighting Pacio, I really couldn’t imagine that it would happen. I thought it might be other opponents, but the moment I heard it was Pacio, I was surprised to find out it was the current strawweight champion that I’d be facing.”

Wakamatsu is set to defend his flyweight MMA gold against Pacio at ONE 173: Superbon vs. Noiri, which will broadcast live from the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan on Sunday, November 16.

Fans in the United States and Canada can visit ONE Championship’s official website, the ONE Super App, or watch.onefc.com for more information on how to watch the event from their location.

Joshua Pacio says Yuya Wakamatsu earned the belt the hard way: “I respected him a lot”

‘The Passion’ Joshua Pacio of the Philippines holds upcoming foe ‘Little Piranha’ Yuya Wakamatsu in very high regard, maintaining that he has a lot of respect for how the Japanese star battled his way to becoming a ONE world champion.

He told the media at the recently concluded ONE 173: Superbon vs. Noiri press conference:

“I’ve seen Wakamatsu. He’s, you know, the very first time that he entered ONE Championship, and I respected him a lot. I’ve seen how he worked hard and got the championship belt.”

Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for all the latest news and updates surrounding this incredible battle.

About the author

Dan is an MMA writer with 10+ years of overall experience. Before his ongoing tenure at Sportskeeda, Dan got the opportunity to be at the forefront of the sport by contributing to ONE Championship and Fight Game Asia. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology.

Dan’s connection to MMA started during the early days of the UFC and ONE Championship. He previously practiced boxing and ranks Demetrious Johnson, Anderson Silva, Georges St-Pierre, Jon Jones, and Fedor Emelianenko as the top five MMA fighters of all time.

He has covered several events onsite and on the ground for ONE Championship and hopes to continue doing so. He ensures that he churns out accurate articles by citing only legitimate sources and getting firsthand accounts through exclusive interviews whenever required.

Dan feels MMA fighter pay seems like an issue because it often gets compared to what fighters earn in boxing but that MMA will eventually catch up in the future.

His other interests include soccer and video games.

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Edited by Saiyed Adeem Karim