Adriano Moraes Says It Will Be ‘A Dream Come True’ To Submit Yuya Wakamatsu And Reclaim Gold In Japan

At ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang, Brazilian veteran Adriano “Mikinho” Moraes will venture into enemy territory to take on Japanese fan-favorite Yuya “Little Piranha” Wakamatsu and try to reclaim the ONE Flyweight MMA World Title he previously held.

Slated to go down on March 23 at the legendary Saitama Super Arena, that clash will mark Moraes’ second meeting with Wakamatsu and his twelfth World Title fight inside ONE Championship.

In the pair’s first bout, in 2022 at ONE X, Moraes scored a sensational, third-round submission victory to successfully retain his flyweight MMA crown. The Brazilian would subsequently lose his belt to MMA legend Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson shortly after, but then bounce back to the win column with an impressive submission victory over Filipino veteran Danny “The King” Kingad.

Now, following Johnson’s retirement from competition, the ONE Flyweight MMA World Title sits vacant, and “Mikinho,” now the division’s #1-ranked contender, is hungry to once again wear 26 pounds of gold and cement his legacy as an all-time MMA great.

He spoke to onefc.com about what this fight means to him and why securing another finish is important:

“If you see my numbers, I’m a finisher. I like to finish the fight. I have the most fights, the most finishes in the flyweight division and the most title wins. So, I always look to make a statement because in and out of ONE Championship, people are going to know my name, people are going to know my legacy, and I think that’s the most important thing for us as fighters.”

While Moraes admitted that the #2-ranked Wakamatsu has shown marked improvements in his overall MMA game and particularly his grappling since their first fight, he’s still envisioning the same outcome.

Another submission victory with the golden belt on the line, in one of the most iconic venues in all of combat sports, would mark a momentous occasion in Moraes’ decorated career.

He added:

“This fight is going to be the same result because I’m going to fight even better than our last fight, and I will be submitting him again, for sure.

“It’s going to be, for me, for my fans, for my family, for everybody, it’s going to be amazing. For my career, it’s going to be a legendary win for sure, especially in Saitama Super Arena. It’s going to be like a dream come true.”

Despite focusing on his legacy, “Mikinho” knows that he has nothing left to prove in the sport.

For the 36-year-old American Top Team product, his motivation to win the ONE World Title is more internal and more about proving to himself that he’s still capable of winning at the absolute highest levels of MMA:

“I don’t have anything to prove anymore. I’m an eight-time ONE Flyweight MMA World Champion – with the most finishes. I just want to prove to myself that I can still win this title fight. I just want to prove to myself that I can still fight and show that the fire I have inside my heart is still burning.”

Moraes Is Excited To Take Out Wakamatsu In Enemy Territory

When he squares off with Yuya Wakamatsu at ONE 172, Adriano Moraes will be facing one key challenge that he didn’t have in their first encounter: he’ll be fighting in his opponent’s home country.

The partisan Japanese crowd aside, “Mikinho” can’t wait to compete at Saitama Super Arena in the birthplace of MMA and in front of the planet’s most rabid fans:

“I’m excited to fight in front of the Japanese fans because the Japanese fans are some of the best in the world every time. When I watch some Japanese events and stuff, I see how the fans go to the stadium and celebrate with their favorite fighters. And Saitama Super Arena is a special arena, and I’m blessed to have this opportunity.”

Moraes can’t dismiss the fact that Wakamatsu will have the full force of the crowd behind him.

But after competing across the globe against the world’s best fighters for nearly the entirety of his 12-year, 17-fight ONE tenure, “Mikinho” has become accustomed to fighting on enemy turf.

In fact, he said, he seems to enjoy defeating the hometown hero:

“I have been doing it my whole career. I know what I have to do, and I’m going to do it.

“I love to go to my opponent’s home and destroy their dreams. I don’t know why, but I feel like this kind of emotion gives me more pleasure.”