Yuya Wakamatsu Dominates Hu Yong To Bolster World Title Hopes
Third-ranked contender Yuya “Little Piranha” Wakamatsu may have just booked himself a crack at Adriano “Mikinho” Moraes’ ONE Flyweight World Title after a solid performance at ONE: WINTER WARRIORS.
The surging Japanese phenom strengthened his claim for a World Title shot with a dominant unanimous decision victory over “Wolf Warrior” Hu Yong in their flyweight mixed martial arts battle at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Friday, 3 December.
Wakamatsu opened up the night’s curtain-raiser with a thudding low kick and then shot in for a double-leg takedown, straying from his usual boxing-heavy attack to keep his foe guessing.
Hu managed to scramble back up, but there was no respite on the feet as he ate more hard low kicks and two of “Little Piranha’s” signature right hands.
The Japanese knockout artist hit another double-leg takedown and dominated the rest of the round on the ground – a contrast to his usual game plan, but just as effective.
Hu came out swinging in the second stanza and tried to use his kicks to keep Wakamatsu away, but the “Little Piranha” closed the distance again and tripped his foe to the canvas.
After passing “Wolf Warrior’s” guard, the Tribe Tokyo MMA product scored with elbows, knees, and punches as he smothered his Chinese rival from the top.
Each time Hu escaped and returned to his feet, he was dragged down again. However, he was buoyed when he managed to snag a single-leg takedown to end up on top late in the frame.
The Fighting Bros Club representative probed with kicks to start round three. This kept Wakamatsu at bay briefly, but after overextending on a right hand and slipping to the mat, “Little Piranha” regained his footing and took his rival down once again.
Wakamatsu passed Hu’s guard and worked to the back until “Wolf Warrior” squirmed free. Still, the Chinese athlete couldn’t escape his opponent’s relentless takedowns and smothering top game.
Despite a late return to the feet, Hu failed to land any major offense – and “Little Piranha” cruised to a dominant victory.
With the win, Wakamatsu pushed his record to 15-4 and claimed the flyweight division’s longest active winning streak in the process with five straight victories.
This prompted “Little Piranha” to ask ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong for a shot at Moraes’ World Title in his post-match interview — a request that looks hard to refuse with the striker’s current form.
Read more: ONE: WINTER WARRIORS – Live Results And Highlights For Every Fight
