WATCH: Highlights from Yuya Wakamatsu's explosive knockout finish of Joshua Pacio at ONE 173

Japanese MMA star Yuya Wakamatsu showed why he sits atop the flyweight MMA mountain with another statement finish on the global stage of ONE Championship at ONE 173 in Tokyo, Japan.

After capturing the vacant ONE flyweight MMA world title at ONE 172 in Saitama this past March, 'Little Piranha's' first title defense came against reigning strawweight MMA king Joshua Pacio.

Their all-champion clash was one of five world title battles on the organization's stacked card inside the Ariake Arena on Sunday, Nov. 16.

Watch the full highlight reel below to see how the 30-year-old Tokyo-based warrior retained his flyweight gold for the first time inside his home country.

"DOMINATION 👑 When Yuya Wakamatsu defended his flyweight MMA crown in impressive fashion against strawweight MMA king Joshua Pacio at ONE 173 in Tokyo, Japan! @yw0209c4," the promotion wrote in the caption of the clip uploaded to its Instagram account (@onechampionship) yesterday.

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Yuya Wakamatsu and Joshua Pacio's clash was non-stop entertainment

Joshua Pacio stunned the champion early with short hooks as 'Little Piranha' marched forward with his trademark aggression.

But Yuya Wakamatsu escaped danger, locked in a guillotine choke attempt, took the Filipino's back, and unloaded punches and grounded knees in a relentless first-round assault.

The strawweight ruler survived to the bell through pure toughness, but the next stanza provided an entirely different tale. In fact, it only lasted 54 seconds.

After 'The Passion' landed a high kick—his final significant offense—Wakamatsu connected with a clean one-two that dropped the challenger. The Japanese knockout artist immediately swarmed with a barrage of knees to the head that forced the referee to wave off the contest.

The victory improved Wakamatsu's record to 20-6 while handing Pacio his first knockout loss.

Do you agree that Wakamatsu is the most dangerous finisher in the flyweight division? Let us know your thoughts below!

ONE Championship returns to the Ariake Arena next year. ONE 175 is scheduled to go down on Wednesday, April 29, and tickets are already available for sale here.