Yuya Wakamatsu Vs. Joshua Pacio, Denice Zamboanga Vs. Ayaka Miura MMA World Title Fights Added To ONE 173 In Japan
A pair of MMA World Title fights have been added to the star-studded card for ONE 173, making it a pivotal moment for the Japanese MMA scene with two local heroes throwing down against Filipino warriors at Tokyo’s Ariake Arena on Sunday, November 16.
ONE Flyweight MMA World Champion Yuya “Little Piranha” Wakamatsu will make his first World Title defense against reigning strawweight titleholder Joshua “The Passion” Pacio, who has a chance to become the sport’s next two-division king.
Meanwhile, ONE Women’s Atomweight MMA World Champion Denice “The Menace” Zamboanga will also make her first World Title defense against the hometown hero, #2-ranked contender Ayaka “Zombie” Miura.
This past March, Wakamatsu realized his lifelong dream and earned a slice of revenge in front of his compatriots at the Saitama Super Arena, adding another memorable chapter to the Japanese MMA scene.
The 30-year-old star knocked out Adriano “Mikinho” Moraes – the most decorated flyweight mixed martial artist in ONE Championship history – in the first round of their ONE Flyweight MMA World Title rematch to win the vacant belt at ONE 172.
“Little Piranha” has been celebrating that career milestone, but now, the time has come for him to defend the strap. He’ll do so against Pacio, who looks to make history in enemy territory.
Pacio, who had been sidelined for several months with a partially torn ACL, enjoyed a miraculous return at ONE 171: Qatar in February.
After a tough first round where he was seemingly close to being submitted, the Filipino weathered the storm to knock out interim titleholder Jarred “The Monkey God” Brooks in their World Title trilogy bout to unify the gold and become a seven-time ONE Strawweight MMA World Champion.
Now, eight months later, Pacio heads to Japan where he has a chance to claim the flyweight belt and become his country’s first two-division MMA World Champion.
Pacio’s compatriot, Zamboanga, will also make the trek to Japan and look to kick off her atomweight reign on a high note.
The Filipina originally earned the ONE Interim Women’s Atomweight MMA World Title by finishing then-#4 contender Alyona Rassohyna at ONE Fight Night 27 this past January.
Zamboanga was originally scheduled to unify the gold with Stamp Fairtex in August, but when the Thai favorite suffered yet another setback on her surgically repaired knee, she relinquished the belt to keep the division moving along, ultimately making “The Menace” the undisputed atomweight MMA queen.
Now, Zamboanga’s first order of business is putting her belt on the line against Miura, who has a chance to provide the Japanese MMA scene with another spectacular moment just like Wakamatsu did.
Miura finds herself on a five-bout winning streak, punctuated by her first-round submission victory over Juliana “La Patrona” Otalora at ONE Friday Fights 116 on July 18.
ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong awarded “Zombie” with a World Title shot for her outstanding performances, setting the stage for Miura to claim the ONE Women’s Atomweight MMA World Title in front of her fans in Japan.
Stay tuned to onefc.com for more news about ONE 173.
