‘There’s Definitely Going To Be A Finish’ – Willie Van Rooyen Eyes A Show-Stopping Display In Japan At ONE SAMURAI 3
South African standout Willie “White Lion” van Rooyen hops back into action at ONE SAMURAI 3, ready to take another major step in his quest for ONE Flyweight MMA World Title glory on the global stage.
The 23-year-old faces former divisional king Yuya “Little Piranha” Wakamatsu in a high stakes flyweight MMA co-main event clash on the star-studded card, which takes place inside Yokohama Buntai in Japan this Saturday, September 12.
Van Rooyen has already learned plenty about himself in his short time in the promotion, which, unfortunately, started with a loss to now-reigning ONE Flyweight MMA World Champion Avazbek “Ninzya” Kholmirzaev at ONE Fight Night 37 last November.
Four months later, he responded to his first career setback with a cracking third-round stoppage of Jeremy Miado at ONE Fight Night 41.
That bounce-back win has given him plenty of confidence heading into his toughest assignment yet, and he does not believe the weight of this matchup falls on his shoulders.
He said:
“I think the pressure is more on Yuya because he is headed into this off a loss. He’ll definitely be trying to get that redemption back [and] get back into the win column.
“So he has a lot more to do to win the fight and maybe get the opportunity to fight for the belt again. He needs to prove a point again. Whereas I made a statement with my fight against Jeremy. I showed them, ‘Listen, I’m here for business. That debut just wasn’t my day.'”
That same confidence carries through into how Van Rooyen has approached this fight during his training camp at A-Team Stars in Pretoria, South Africa.
The former two-time EFC Flyweight Champion has made a point of sharpening every part of his game, one he believes will match up well against Wakamatsu’s similarly explosive style.
“White Lion” continued:
“My preparation is going very, very well. I’ve definitely been pushing much harder in my preparation, and I’ve been refining a lot of skills for this fight. Every fight, I’m going to be able to showcase more than I was able to showcase in the previous fight.
“I think both of our styles are very exciting. There’s almost nonstop action all the time. That’s what the crowd wants to see. There’s not [going to be] clinching and holding each other or slowing down. It’s going to be fast-paced and full of action.”
With a fast-paced, back-and-forth battle expected, Van Rooyen has also given plenty of thought to exactly how that action might ultimately resolve itself.
Respect for his opponent and his host country matters to the South African slugger, but he will not let that get in the way of business at ONE SAMURAI 3.
He said:
“He is Japanese, and I’m fighting in Japan, so I’ll never do anything disrespectful to him or to their country. But a fight is a fight. So if I knock him out in front of his own country, then that’s part of the game, unfortunately. There’s definitely going to be a finish somewhere in the fight.
“I think it’s going to be almost the same as my knockout of Jeremy. Knock him down, then ground-and-pound for the finish. I think that’s more or less what I’m looking for, most probably in the second or third round.”
Van Rooyen Views Wakamatsu Clash As ONE World Title Eliminator
This fight means more to Willie van Rooyen than just another result on his near-perfect MMA record.
A win over a former kingpin carries weight, and the 23-year-old believes it should be more than enough to put him in the ONE Flyweight MMA World Championship conversation.
He said:
“If I can beat Yuya, my skill level should be high enough because he was the former champion. So I think [winning] this would definitely get me an opportunity to fight for the belt.
“But I don’t really do callouts. I let ONE Championship and the matchmakers make those decisions. I’ll do my fight, and if I win and they decide they want me to fight for the belt next, then I’ll be ready to fight for the belt.”
Of course, the 26 pounds of gold happens to sit with the very man who handed Van Rooyen his only professional loss: Avazbek Kholmirzaev.
The Uzbekistani powerhouse went on to claim the crown from Wakamatsu at ONE SAMURAI 1 this past April, just five months after he shut down the South African with an armbar in round one.
Given the connection between the trio of superstars, the math is pretty simple for Van Rooyen:
“If I can compete with Yuya, I know I have the opportunity to fight Avazbek again for the belt.
“I’m definitely looking forward to that rematch. I couldn’t really showcase myself against Avazbek in the first fight, but I think the next time we meet, it’s going to be a completely different fight.”
