Yuya Wakamatsu has waited his entire combat sports life for this kind of moment.
The 30-year-old finally reached the summit when he became the ONE Flyweight MMA World Champion in Tokyo earlier this year, fulfilling a dream he once believed might not be possible. Now he returns home to defend that title for the first time, determined to show he is not only the man who climbed the mountain, but the man who belongs at the top of it.
Wakamatsu faces ONE strawweight champion Joshua Pacio at ONE 173 in Tokyo, in a match-up that could have an impact across both divisions. For the champion, the location could not be more meaningful. Winning gold in Japan inspired powerful emotions, and he believes fighting again in front of his own people gives him an even greater sense of purpose.
“When I won the belt in Japan, everything gave me strength,” Wakamatsu said. “Even my past defeats felt like they finally paid off.”
For Wakamatsu, that victory helped reinvigorate his career. He said he felt like if he failed to win the title that night, he might have felt like he had reached a dead end.
Instead, the triumph reignited his belief and set new fire beneath him.