Adriano Moraes Retains Flyweight Gold With Third-Round Guillotine Of Yuya Wakamatsu
It took some time for Adriano “Mikinho” Moraes to show his true form, but when he did, fans around the world were reminded why he’s the most dominant flyweight on the globe.
The ONE Flyweight World Champion defeated #2 contender Yuya “Little Piranha” Wakamatsu by third-round guillotine choke at the historic ONE X: Grand Finale card on Saturday, 26 March, at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
In round one, the referee was forced to issue two warnings as neither man looked to engage. Moraes finally shot for a takedown, although Wakamatsu scrambled to his feet and spent the rest of the canto hanging onto the Brazilian’s back.
The second frame also started slowly until “Little Piranha” dipped under a hook from “Mikinho” and shot for a takedown. The defending champ reversed the move, though, and tried to drag his challenger to the canvas.
When he couldn’t bring Wakamatsu down, the American Top Team superstar resorted to a knee to the face. He followed that up with a jumping knee on the break, but Wakamatsu landed a trademark right hand at the end of the frame.
At the start of the third stanza, the two competitors circled each other for a good minute until the referee issued both fighters a yellow card. The purse deduction clearly woke them up, as Moraes began to shoot for takedowns.
“Little Piranha” stuffed most of them, and he even landed one of his own – but that turned out to be his downfall. With his opponent’s neck exposed, Moraes sniffed out the guillotine choke and sunk it in at the 3:58 mark of round three.
The victory improved the Brazilian’s MMA record to 20-3. Moreover, he won his eighth ONE Flyweight World Title fight, further cementing himself as one of the most decorated World Champions in promotional history.
