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Yuya Wakamatsu Wants To Show ONE Flyweight Champ Adriano Moraes What A Real ‘Samurai’ Is

After defeating 12-time Mixed Martial Arts World Champion Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson by KO in April, ONE Flyweight World Champion Adriano “Mikinho” Moraes has truly become a marked man.

The Brazilian has every flyweight underneath him gunning for his belt, and that includes #3-ranked contender Yuya “Little Piranha” Wakamatsu.

Wakamatsu, who started his own run in ONE with back-to-back losses to #2-ranked Danny “The King” Kingad and #1-ranked Johnson, has been on a tear since August 2019.

He defeated former ONE Flyweight World Champion Geje “Gravity” Eustaquio and Kyu Sung Kim by KO and racked up important wins over Dae Hwan Kim and #5-ranked contender Reece “Lightning” McLaren by unanimous decision.

Now he’s got his sights set on Moraes.

“I want to fight him soon if I can. If he needs to fight one more bout before me, I could watch him compete one more time. And if he says, ‘Since I beat the legendary DJ, let me take a rest,’ I can have one more bout before I challenge for the title,” Wakamatsu said.

“But I would like to have a title match as soon as I can. The time is limited, and I don’t know when we’ll be able to compete now. That’s why I really want to ask for a World Title match.”

Moreover, “Little Piranha” sees a World Title showdown as a win-win for the current titleholder.

“Considering Moraes’ [perspective], if he can beat me, there’s no reason to turn this down,” he continued. “That way, he can get paid by ONE again. It’s a good thing for him. If he’s not intimidated and he is a fighter, just do it. I wonder if he’s intimidated?” Wakamatsu said.

“If he is so confident that he will beat me as the champion, then go ahead and do it. Or rather, I would say, just do it!”

Moraes’ success isn’t lost on “Little Piranha,” as he respects what the ONE Flyweight World Champion has been able to accomplish.

With that said, the Japanese standout believes it’s his time to get some shine under the spotlight in the largest martial arts organization in the world.

“I think Moraes is inspiring the world by becoming the World Champion, but I want to win and be the champion so that the whole world can see what a samurai is actually like. I want people to know that there are [warriors] like this, even today,” Wakamatsu added.

“I want to be the champion of ONE and be a star. I’m ready to go, so all I have to do is get a title shot, win, and stay focused.”

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