Wakamatsu Promises a New Style, Van Rooyen Predicts a Finish at ONE SAMURAI 3 Co-Main Event
Former ONE Flyweight MMA World Champion Yuya "Little Piranha" Wakamatsu is ready to start his road back to the top.
The 31-year-old Japanese star faces South African force Willie "White Lion" van Rooyen in the co-main event of ONE SAMURAI 3 on Saturday, September 12, live from Yokohama Buntai in Yokohama, Japan. The show streams for North American viewers exclusively on live.onefc.com.
Wakamatsu lost his ONE Flyweight MMA World Title to Avazbek Kholmirzaev five months ago, ending a five-fight winning streak. Van Rooyen carries an 8-1 career record with six finishes and the hunger of a fighter who has bounced back from a debut loss to become one of the division's most dangerous prospects.
Both men lost to the same fighter. Both want Kholmirzaev back. September 12 in Yokohama is where one of them takes the first step toward making that happen.
Wakamatsu Plans to Look Like a Completely Different Animal at ONE SAMURAI 3
The former champion has not spent the five months since his title loss simply preparing to do the same things. Wakamatsu has overhauled his approach and wants his performance at ONE SAMURAI 3 to catch everyone off guard.
"Everyone expects Wakamatsu to fight a certain way. But on fight night, I want them to go, 'What the hell is this style?!' I want to look like a completely different animal compared to my last fight," Wakamatsu explained.
His 14 career finishes and the relentless pressure that carried him to the flyweight title reflect a fighter who has been one of the division's most reliable performers for years. Whatever evolution he is planning to unleash on home soil in Yokohama, van Rooyen will be the first opponent to experience it.
Van Rooyen Targets a Knockdown and Ground-and-Pound Finish
The South African fighter has not entered the ONE SAMURAI 3 co-main event without a specific vision for how his night ends. Van Rooyen has drawn on the most impressive finish of his career to frame his game plan against the former champion.
"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 explained.
Van Rooyen is a kickboxing-turned-MMA fighter from Pretoria who holds a second-degree black belt. His 8-1 record includes victories at multiple levels of competition, and the bounce-back TKO of Miado after his debut loss demonstrated a resilience that goes beyond raw talent.
Wakamatsu Has Been Obsessed with Reclaiming the Belt
Behind the preparations and the competitive matchup at ONE SAMURAI 3 is a more personal story for the former champion. Wakamatsu has revealed the psychological battle he has been fighting since April, one that makes September 12 about far more than a single flyweight fight.
"I am completely obsessed with getting that ONE belt back. Literally the day after that loss, it became a daily battle against the fear of, 'Do I still have what it takes to get there?'" Wakamatsu declared.
The obsession driving Wakamatsu's return is the fuel behind whatever new version of himself he is planning to show the Yokohama crowd.
Van Rooyen's ambition is equally clear and equally personal – a win over the former titleholder in front of that former champion's home crowd would announce the “White Lion” as the flyweight division's most serious new threat.
