{"id":604759,"date":"2026-04-15T02:41:09","date_gmt":"2026-04-15T02:41:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/604759\/"},"modified":"2026-04-15T02:41:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T02:41:09","slug":"hes-never-fought-someone-stronger-yuya-wakamatsu-vows-to-break-avazbek-kholmirzaev-at-one-samurai-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/604759\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018He\u2019s Never Fought Someone Stronger\u2019 \u2013 Yuya Wakamatsu Vows To Break Avazbek Kholmirzaev At ONE SAMURAI 1"},"content":{"rendered":"

For Yuya \u201cLittle Piranha\u201d Wakamatsu<\/a>, his ONE Flyweight MMA World Championship represents the full weight of his nation\u2019s martial arts legacy.<\/p>\n

The 31-year-old defends his belt against Uzbek challenger Avazbek \u201cNinzya\u201d Kholmirzaev<\/a> in one of four World Title bouts at ONE SAMURAI 1<\/a>, broadcasting live from Ariake Arena in Tokyo on Wednesday, April 29.<\/p>\n

Wakamatsu enters in the best form of his career, riding five straight wins, each a testament to his growth as a complete martial artist.<\/p>\n

Most recently, he stopped reigning ONE Strawweight MMA World Champion Joshua \u201cThe Passion\u201d Pacio<\/a> via second-round TKO at ONE 173<\/a> last November to retain his crown in Japan.<\/p>\n

Now, the Kagoshima native looks to deliver another finish in front of a roaring home crowd. Awaiting him is a challenger with an 89 percent finishing rate. Wakamatsu knows the danger and would not have it any other way.<\/p>\n

The Tribe Tokyo MMA standout told onefc.com:<\/p>\n

\u201cMy impression of him is that he can do everything. He has submissions and his striking is dangerous too. Overall, he\u2019s a complete fighter. And on top of that, he\u2019s young. He really represents the new generation of MMA.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s extremely strong, the strongest opponent I\u2019ve ever faced. But at the same time, to me, there is no opponent \u2014 only myself to overcome. He\u2019s the ideal opponent for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wakamatsu\u2019s respect for his challenger is deep and earned. Kholmirzaev first made his name on the ONE Friday Fights circuit, winning a six-figure contract before tearing through the main roster.<\/p>\n

The 25-year-old submitted Willie \u201cWhite Lion\u201d van Rooyen<\/a> in the first round and stopped Jeremy \u201cThe Jaguar\u201d Miado<\/a> via second-round TKO after absorbing early pressure. What strikes Wakamatsu most about \u201cNinzya\u201d is his relentless killer instinct \u2014 a trait he knows all too well.<\/p>\n

He said:<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom the first round, he always goes for the finish. Even when he\u2019s tired, he never gives up on finishing. That mentality is what makes him so strong.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile many fighters usually can\u2019t go for the finish in the first round and fight for the decision, he puts everything into finishing early. That\u2019s exactly why he leaves a strong impression.\u201d<\/p>\n

That admiration only sharpens his resolve. Wakamatsu has faced killers before and is not about to start flinching now. He is confident he is the best flyweight MMA fighter on the planet and has proven it on this stage before.<\/p>\n

He said:<\/p>\n

\u201cHe does get hit by right hands sometimes. And also, he\u2019s never fought someone stronger than himself \u2014 like me. You\u2019ll see that in this fight. When he faces me, things that worked before won\u2019t work anymore.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have a lot of images in my head for all the different scenarios I\u2019ve thought through. But if I had to say, [I\u2019d beat him via] ground TKO. A pound-out finish.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wakamatsu Embraces Role As Face Of Japanese MMA<\/p>\n

A fixtu145-poundre in ONE since 2018, Wakamatsu has graced some of the promotion\u2019s grandest stages.<\/p>\n

The allure of competing at home never fades. His most defining moments have unfolded in front of Japanese fans, and the energy of a home crowd brings out the best in him.<\/p>\n

He said:<\/p>\n

\u201cFighting in Japan is a great honor. I used to fight overseas, but now that I can fight in Japan, the country where I grew up. My fans can watch, and my family can be there too. That makes it very special.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing able to fight for a title at ONE SAMURAI 1 makes me incredibly happy. I believe in Bushido, and I live by the spirit of the samurai. This event lets me express the way I\u2019ve lived my life.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Wakamatsu, this bout transcends personal ambition. ONE SAMURAI 1 is a celebration of everything Japan has contributed to the world of combat sports \u2014 a lineage built on discipline, sacrifice, and an unbreakable spirit.<\/p>\n

He is proud to stand at the center of it.<\/p>\n

He said:<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat ONE SAMURAI 1 brings to Japan is the values martial arts teach \u2014 honesty, courage, determination, and respect for others. These are the things ONE values most. Martial arts isn\u2019t just about violence. I believe ONE is the only organization that truly represents that.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe impact ONE SAMURAI 1 will have on Japan is bringing back the Bushido spirit that people have forgotten. I want to be the one who embodies that spirit and leads the way.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For Yuya \u201cLittle Piranha\u201d Wakamatsu, his ONE Flyweight MMA World Championship represents the full weight of his nation\u2019s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":604760,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[444],"tags":[49,48,641,638,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-604759","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mma","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-fighting","11":"tag-mma","12":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/604759","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=604759"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/604759\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/604760"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=604759"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=604759"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=604759"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}