Yuya Wakamatsu looks to continue his winning streak at ONE: Winter Warriors.
One of the exciting aspects of watching combat sports is seeing the development of prospects in real-time. ONE Championship is frequently in that position as a lot of names on the roster are lesser-known but can still bring the action that mixed martial arts fans want to see. Yuya Wakamatsu is one of those individuals and he’s the fighter to watch heading into ONE: Winter Warriors.
At only 26-years of age, Wakamatsu has all the makings to be a future draw for the promotion. On Friday, he’s scheduled to face Yong Hu who brings a 7-2 record into this contest.
Wakamatsu is riding a four-fight winning streak, but he’s shown that he can go on extended runs of success. He didn’t take too long to reach the bigger promotions available in Asian MMA, stepping into Pancrase in his third professional bout. He put together an 8-0 run in that company, before losing to Senzo Ikeda in the main event at Pancrase 293. He would rebound with one more fight under that banner before moving on to ONE in September of 2018.
Wakamatsu faces tougher competition in ONE Championship
The step-up in competition cost Wakamatsu two bouts, including one against Demetrious Johnson. But just like prospects are supposed to do, he came back from those two-straight losses, winning his last four, two of them by stoppage.
In a 2020 feature in The Japan Times, Wakamatsu openly discussed the tough upbringing that led him to mixed martial arts.
“I admit that I was a bit crazy. I was athletic and powerful since I was a kid, so I was good at punching people too,” Wakamatsu said during the interview. “I just wanted to make myself look tough and strong.”
He’s succeeded in building himself up as a top prospect in the sport, even though he has six years of professional experience. Wakamatsu is a tough out for anyone at this level and is the fighter to watch heading into this weekend’s card.