‘A Title I Have To Win’ – Keito Yamakita Ready To Bring Gold Back To Japan At ONE SAMURAI 5
The ONE Strawweight MMA World Title has rested securely in Japanese hands before, and Keito “Pocket Monk” Yamakita believes the time has come to bring it home once again.
On Wednesday, November 18, the 30-year-old officially challenges ONE Strawweight MMA World Champion Joshua “The Passion” Pacio in the marquee main event of ONE SAMURAI 5, broadcasting live from EBARA WAVE Arena Ota in Tokyo.
Yamakita joined ONE Championship as an unbeaten former Pancrase Strawweight Champion. Since suffering a lone setback against perennial contender Bokang “Little Giant” Masunyane, he has refused to taste defeat, putting together a stellar five-fight winning streak that includes impressive victories over two of Pacio’s Filipino countrymen, Jeremy “The Jaguar” Miado and Lito “Thunder Kid” Adiwang.
This year, he stamped his case for 26 pounds of gold, cleanly tapping Ryohei Kurosawa in the second round at ONE SAMURAI 1 before forcing Koyuru Tanoue to yield inside the opening frame at ONE SAMURAI 2.
Despite that sustained divisional success, Yamakita humbly admits he is slightly surprised to have reached this monumental point so quickly.
The challenger told onefc.com:
“I wouldn’t really say I was waiting for a title fight offer. I just thought it would come eventually if I kept doing what I was doing.
“I feel my performances have increasingly reached a level worthy of a title fight. I think I’m stronger now than I’ve ever been, so it has come at the best possible time.”
Standing directly between him and the belt is the man who has definitively set the bar for the 125-pound division. Pacio has captured the strawweight MMA on multiple occasions and owns five successful defenses across his historic reigns.
Over the years, the wushu specialist from Baguio City has added highly complex layers to his game, and Yamakita holds profound respect for the seasoned king he must dethrone.
He said:
“Pacio is known mainly as a striker, but he also has high-level grappling technique. Above all, he’s mentally strong.
“He can finish you with his striking, and recently, he even won by submitting a strong grappler. I can’t let my guard down in any phase of the fight.”
Even so, he fully understands it takes far more than pure technical skill to unseat a reigning World Champion.
Pacio has routinely thrived in the grueling championship rounds since 2016, while Yamakita has never fought beyond 15 minutes inside the Circle. That experience gap is certainly not lost on the Japanese grappler, yet he refuses to shrink from the sheer magnitude of the occasion. After all, this is the ultimate prize he has tirelessly chased since he first stepped onto a wrestling mat in Mie Prefecture.
“Pocket Monk” added:
“His greatest strength is his heart. My plan is to refuse to lose that battle of wills or back down. Whether we’re striking or grappling, I want to keep outdoing him in determination.
“I’d prefer to avoid trading strikes with him, but I can’t be afraid of his striking. That’s been a theme for me in every fight. I want to keep coming forward to make him back up.”
Yamakita Wants To Carry A Japanese Legacy Forward
When the action inevitably hits the canvas, Keito Yamakita leans heavily on his smothering top control and crafty jiu-jitsu. Few weapons in his elite arsenal shine brighter than his highly unorthodox bulldog choke, which has cleanly put away both Jeremy Miado and Koyuru Tanoue in highlight-reel fashion.
While the Team We representative deeply respects how far Pacio’s overall ground game has evolved, he has absolutely no plans to concede an inch of mat space. If “The Passion” willingly follows him into his grappling realm, he heavily favors his own chances.
The Japanese star offered:
“I want a great win, so I’d like to win by submission using one of my best techniques. But he’s not someone who’ll let me submit him easily. Five five-minute rounds is a long fight.
“Pacio has good stamina, and I’m confident in mine too. If his will breaks, that’s when I can submit him or finish him. I want to keep pressing him and looking for those moments.”
Beyond deep personal pride, the impending bout holds immense cultural weight. A victory would return strawweight supremacy directly to a nation with a rich, proud tradition in the division.
Former ONE Strawweight MMA World Champions Yoshitaka “Nobita” Naito and Yosuke “The Ninja” Saruta once ruled the 125-pound ranks, and both share a storied rivalry with the exact man Yamakita hopes to topple.
When he steps into EBARA WAVE Arena Ota on November 18, a capacity crowd full of familiar voices will be firmly in his corner. His expectant wife and the young wrestlers he actively coaches will be among them, and Yamakita refuses to let a single one down.
The Inabe native declared:
“The ONE World Title means you’re the best in the world at strawweight, without question. I feel it’s a title I have to win.
“Japanese fighters like Saruta and Naito have held it before, so I believe it’s a belt that a Japanese fighter should hold. I want to make sure I fulfill that role.”
