Yuya Wakamatsu returns to face China’s Wang Shuo at ONE 161 on September 29

Yuya Wakamatsu and Wang Shuo, two highly regarded flyweight MMA combatants, are scheduled to meet at ONE 161 on September 29. Both of these fighters are coming off of a loss and will be hungry to bounce back into the win column.

Japan's 'Little Piranha' Wakamatsu's most recent fight was a losing world title bid against now-former ONE flyweight world champion Adriano Moraes. He earned the title shot with an impressive five-fight win streak in ONE Championship. Wakamatsu is known for his knockout power, with over 70% of his wins coming by way of KO/TKO.

At ONE 161, he will meet China's 'Little Whirlwind' Wang Shuo. Shuo also boasted a five-fight win streak until his most recent fight, which was a decision loss to Tatsumitsu Wada. Overall, he has won more than half his fights by way of stoppage, mostly via KO/TKO.

Both of these MMA fighters are in desperate need of a win, so the stakes at ONE 161 will be extremely high.

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Yuya Wakamatsu still aiming for ONE gold

Despite the loss in his 2022 title bid, the 27-year-old Japanese fighter still has ambitions of becoming the ONE flyweight titleholder. In an interview with ONE prior to his fight with Moraes earlier this year, Yuya Wakamatsu said:

“The confidence is half a change in attitude and half true confidence. Of course, I have doubts. But I think I can showcase a culmination of my life’s work in this fight to see if I’m on the right track. If I’m not, then I’ll probably lose, but I truly believe I’ll become world champion.”

'Little Piranha' might be best known for his losses against Moraes and Demetrious Johnson. Despite earning defeats in those bouts, he is grateful for the experience he earned. Speaking to ONE, he explained:

“No matter how much you study your opponent, you won’t truly know them until you come face to face with them on fight day, so I’m not concerned. The reason I lost to DJ was because I was too concerned with [what he was going to do], although it was still good experience.”

Yuya Wakamatsu will return to the ONE circle at ONE 161 on September 29 against 'Little Whirlwind' Shuo. It will be an exciting flyweight showdown.