Yuya Wakamatsu
Yuya Wakamatsu (若松佑弥 Wakamatsu Yūya, born February 9, 1995) is a Japanese martial artist from Satsumasendai City, Japan. His nickname "Little Piranha" came from his coach and mentor, Ryo "Piranha" Chonan.[3] He has competed for promotions such as Pancrase, ZST, Vale Tudo Japan, and currently ONE Championship.
| Yuya Wakamatsu | |
|---|---|
| Born | 若松佑弥 February 9, 1995 Satsumasendai, Kagoshima, Japan |
| Other names | Little Piranha |
| Residence | Tokyo, Japan |
| Nationality | Japanese |
| Height | 5 ft 6 in (168 cm)[1] |
| Weight | 135 lb (61 kg; 9 st 9 lb) |
| Division | Flyweight |
| Style | Boxing, mixed martial arts |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Team | Tribe Tokyo MMA[2] |
| Teacher(s) | Ryo Chonan |
| Years active | 2015 – present |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 16 |
| Wins | 12 |
| By knockout | 10 |
| By submission | 0 |
| By decision | 2 |
| Losses | 4 |
| By knockout | 1 |
| By submission | 2 |
| By decision | 1 |
| Draws | 0 |
| Other information | |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
As of April 27, 2020, he is #4 in the ONE Championship flyweight rankings.[4]
Early life
Wakamatsu was born in Satsumasendai, Kagoshima, a rural part of the Kagoshima prefecture, and grew up there with his parents and three siblings. As a youngster, Wakamatsu played soccer and started boxing, but never took sports too seriously and spent much of his time getting into trouble.[5]
"Little Piranha" graduated high school and became a carpenter, but his life turned around when he followed his mother and siblings to Tokyo to chase bigger opportunities.
There, he started training at Chonan's Tribe Tokyo MMA[6] after he had watched him compete in PRIDE and admired his courageous style of fighting.
Martial Arts Career
Wakamatsu began his mixed martial arts training at the age of 18, and made his debut at Vale Tudo Japan in 2015.
He lost via submission to Yuto Sekiguchi,[7] but then went on a nine-fight win streak.
His notable achievements in that time included three straight TKO wins to win the Pancrase Neo Blood Flyweight Tournament title.
Following his win over Shohei Masumizu at Pancrase 290, media outlets started to recognise his potential as a breakout star,[8] but he lost in his flyweight King Of Pancrase title match against Senzo Ikeda.[9]
After getting another TKO win, Wakamatsu signed for ONE Championship and faced Danny Kingad in his debut bout.[10]
Wakamatsu had the highest profile match of his career when he faced former UFC flyweight champion, Demetrious Johnson. Fans were surprised at his ability to damage Johnson in the stand-up exchanges, but he lost to a second-round guillotine.[11]
He got his first ONE victory via KO over former flyweight champion Geje Eustaquio,[12] and he followed that up with a decision win over veteran Dae Hwan Kim.[13]
Championships and Accomplishments
- Pancrase
- Pancrase 22nd Neo Blood Tournament Flyweight Champion (2016)
- Pancrase 22nd Neo Blood Tournament MVP
- Pancrase 22nd Neo Blood Tournament Flyweight Champion (2016)
Mixed martial arts record
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 16 matches | 12 wins | 4 losses |
| By knockout | 10 | 1 |
| By submission | 0 | 2 |
| By decision | 2 | 1 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 12–4 | Dae Hwan Kim | Decision (Unanimous) | ONE Championship: Century | 12 October 2019 | 3 | 5:00 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Win | 11–4 | Geje Eustaquio | KO (Punch) | ONE Championship: Dawn of Heroes | 2 August 2019 | 1 | 1:59 | Manila, Phillippines | |
| Loss | 10–4 | Demetrious Johnson | Submission (Guillotine Choke) | ONE Championship: A New Era | 31 March 2019 | 2 | 2:40 | Tokyo, Japan | ONE Flyweight Grand Prix First Round. |
| Loss | 10–3 | Danny Kingad | Decision (Unanimous) | ONE Championship: Conquest of Heroes | 22 September 2018 | 3 | 5:00 | Jakarta, Indonesia | |
| Win | 10–2 | Mamoru Yamaguchi | TKO (Punches) | Pancrase 297 | 1 July 2018 | 2 | 0:39 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Loss | 9–2 | Senzo Ikeda | TKO (Knees and Elbows) | Pancrase 293 | 4 February 2018 | 5 | 2:18 | Tokyo, Japan | For the Pancrase Flyweight Championship |
| Win | 9–1 | Shohei Masumizu | TKO (Punches) | Pancrase 290 | 8 October 2017 | 2 | 2:53 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Win | 8–1 | Takahiro Furumaki | KO (Punch) | Pancrase 287 | 28 May 2017 | 2 | 2:27 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Win | 7–1 | Yuki Uejima | TKO (Punches) | Pancrase 285 | 12 March 2017 | 1 | 2:49 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Win | 6–1 | Yusuke Ogikubo | Decision (Split) | Pancrase 283 | 18 December 2016 | 3 | 3:00 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Win | 5–1 | Kazuhisa Tanaka | KO (Knee to the Body) | Pancrase 280 | 11 September 2016 | 1 | 2:06 | Tokyo, Japan | Neo Blood Tournament Finals. |
| Win | 4–1 | Masayuki Watanabe | TKO (Punches) | Pancrase 278 | 12 June 2016 | 3 | 1:35 | Tokyo, Japan | Neo Blood Tournament Semifinals. |
| Win | 3–1 | Naoki Tanada | TKO (Punches) | Pancrase 276 | 13 March 2016 | 1 | 2:50 | Tokyo, Japan | Neo Blood Tournament First Round. |
| Win | 2–1 | Sadashi Hamamatsu | TKO (Punches) | Pancrase 274 | 20 December 2015 | 1 | 0:40 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Win | 1–1 | Yoshinari Shinba | KO | ZST 48 | 18 October 2015 | 1 | 2:37 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Loss | 0–1 | Yuto Sekiguchi | Submission (Armbar) | VTJ in Osaka | 21 June 2015 | 1 | 2:43 | Osaka, Japan |
References
- "Yuya Wakamatsu". ONE FC. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
- Tribe Tokyo https://www.tribetokyo.com/en/fighter/. Retrieved 6 May 2020. Missing or empty
|title=(help) - "【パンクラス】期待の新人王・若松佑弥「フナからピラニアに戻りたい」". efight. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
- "ONE Championship Unveils First Official Athlete Rankings". ONE FC.com. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
- "Former street fighter Yuya Wakamatsu out to upset Demetrious Johnson". AsianMMA. 2019-03-18. Retrieved 2019-11-07.
- "Yuya Wakamatsu given opportunity of lifetime against Demetrious Johnson". TokyoReporter. 2019-03-13. Retrieved 2019-11-07.
- Li, Lee (2015-06-21). "VTJ in Osaka results from the flyweight fest". Asia MMA. Retrieved 2019-11-07.
- "Prospect Watch: Yuya Wakamatsu Making His Way To Big Leagues". www.flocombat.com. Retrieved 2019-11-07.
- Eaton, Matt (2018-02-04). "Senzo Ikeda defends Pancrase title after epic clash with Wakamatsu | The Fight Nation". Retrieved 2019-11-07.
- "Japanese Flyweight Yuya Wakamatsu Signs with ONE, Debuts in Jakarta". MMAWeekly.com. 2018-08-17. Retrieved 2019-11-07.
- Cruz, Guilherme (2019-03-31). "ONE Championship video: Demetrious Johnson submits Yuya Wakamatsu in debut". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2019-11-07.
- "Eustaquio loses to Japanese foe via 1st-round TKO". philstar.com. Retrieved 2019-11-07.
- Altatis, Conan (2019-10-13). "Japan's Yuya Wakamatsu earns 2nd ONE Championship win, decisions Dae Hwan Kim at 'ONE: Century 世紀' in Tokyo". CONAN Daily. Retrieved 2019-11-07.