‘Experience What It Means To Carry Yourself As A Champion’ — Yuya Wakamatsu Reveals What He Learned Training With Nadaka
When Yuya “Little Piranha” Wakamatsu walks into the ring to defend his belt against Avazbek Kholmirzaev at ONE SAMURAI 1, live from Tokyo’s Ariake Arena on Wednesday, April 29, he’ll carry technical refinements absorbed from an unexpected source – Nadaka.
Nadaka, the inaugural ONE Atomweight Muay Thai World Champion, will also compete on the event, as he’ll defend his title for the first time against longtime rival Songchainoi Kiatsongrit.
The connection between these two ONE World Champions runs deeper than shared fight cards. Over the years, Wakamatsu sought out his Japanese compatriot repeatedly, not to prove himself against elite strikers but to study something more valuable than technique alone.
For the ONE Flyweight MMA World Champion, learning from Nadaka meant abandoning his ego and embracing the role of student in unfamiliar territory.
Studying The Character Of Nadaka
Not every training partnership begins with technical curiosity. Wakamatsu’s interest in Nadaka emerged from watching his countryman compete, recognizing excellence in striking that demanded closer examination.
But requesting access to another fighter’s training environment required humility. Starting in late 2023, Wakamatsu made his first visit, initiating a relationship that would see him return many times since. Each trip represented a deliberate choice to step outside his comfort zone and absorb knowledge from someone operating at the highest level of a different discipline.
“Little Piranha” said:
“Around the end of 2023, I went to train with him for the first time. I’d been watching his fights and was really impressed by his striking skills, so I asked to train with him. Over the past year or two, I went about six or seven times.”
The timing of his most recent visit carried particular significance. Fresh off a fight, Wakamatsu took his standard month of recovery before entering training camp for his next bout. That window between matches created the perfect opportunity to expand his skill set without the pressure of immediate application.
What he sought went beyond physical technique. Speed and precision matter, but Nadaka’s incredible 40-bout winning streak suggested something deeper. It was a psychological framework that enabled sustained excellence. Wakamatsu wanted proximity to that mentality, to observe how a generational talent carries himself when the cameras aren’t watching.
He said:
“What I really wanted to see was … he’s been unbeaten for so long, so what is that mindset like? I wanted to witness and experience what it means to carry yourself as a champion, the human side of it. That’s what I focused on.”
Absorbing Without Competing
The natural temptation when two elite competitors train together involves proving superiority, treating every exchange as a miniature competition requiring victory. Wakamatsu recognized this impulse as counterproductive to genuine learning.
His recent evolution as a fighter involves understanding that authentic intensity belongs exclusively in actual competition. Training serves different purposes. It’s for refinement, expansion, and experimentation. Trying to dominate every sparring session only creates the risk of injury, as well as preventing absorption of new concepts.
Wakamatsu said:
“I believe real intensity belongs in the fight. I wasn’t trying to match him point for point. I was there to steal the good things. I let go of my pride because it was [new] territory for me. If I got caught up in trying to win every exchange, I’d get injured.”
Operating in Nadaka’s atmosphere meant accepting student status despite holding gold in another discipline. This required conscious suppression of competitive ego, focusing purely on observation and implementation rather than validation.
The physical approach differed significantly from typical MMA striking. Rather than forcing exchanges or proving durability, “Little Piranha” concentrated on experiencing Nadaka’s movement patterns, his positioning, and the subtle adjustments that prevent incoming strikes while maintaining offensive threat.
That mindset shift from proving to absorbing enabled genuine technical growth that’s impossible when pride dominates decision-making. The best education requires vulnerability, admission that others possess knowledge worth acquiring.
Wakamatsu said:
“I let that go and focused purely on absorbing the good stuff, his footwork, and the way he pushes himself in training. That’s where my attention was.”
Relaxation Under Pressure
The specific technical revelations surprised Wakamatsu most. MMA fighters typically strike with tension, muscling through exchanges with force that often exceeds tactical necessity. Nadaka demonstrated a completely opposite methodology.
Even while landing strikes, the Muay Thai king maintained loose, relaxed body mechanics. This approach prevented unnecessary damage to training partners while preserving his own energy and reducing injury. Yet, he avoided absorbing incoming strikes through footwork and defensive positioning rather than sheer toughness.
Wakamatsu said:
“A lot of MMA fighters, when striking, tend to tense up and go hard. But in his case, even when he’s landing, he stays relaxed. That combination of defensive technique, footwork, and speed, I really felt like that’s something you can’t learn anywhere else.”
But perhaps the most profound lesson emerged from proximity during competition itself. Watching Nadaka prepare for fights on shared cards revealed universal truths about pressure — regardless of record or reputation, fear exists for everyone.
The expectation of victory creates its own burden. Nadaka carries an aura of invincibility and a track record of beautifully orchestrated destruction into every battle, meaning each performance risks destroying a carefully built narrative. That weight manifests as genuine human anxiety despite external confidence.
Recognizing this shared vulnerability reminded Wakamatsu that technical excellence alone doesn’t eliminate pressure. World Champions simply learn to perform despite it, carrying fear forward rather than waiting for its disappearance.
He added:
“Even Nadaka, who everyone expects to win as a matter of course, was still fighting under enormous pressure. We’re both human. Watching him I really felt that – the pressure, the weight of it.”
