Yuya Wakamatsu not taking "dangerous striker" Joshua Pacio lightly: “He has knockout power in every strike”

Reigning ONE flyweight MMA world champion Yuya Wakamatsu of Japan won’t let his guard down around Joshua Pacio.

‘Little Piranha' wants to spoil the Filipino’s quest for two-division supremacy when he defends his title for the first time at ONE 173.

Wakamatsu acknowledges Pacio as the greatest strawweight MMA world champion in the promotion’s history.

That said, he’ll keep his guard up against the wushu specialist while also looking for an opening to land his own devastating power.

The Tribe Tokyo MMA affiliate told ONE Championship:

"He's a dangerous striker and a true all-rounder. He controls the fight really well. And he has knockout power in every strike. Knees, punches, and kicks are all dangerous."

Wakamatsu carries an undeniable killer instinct, which he displayed with his one-round title-winning knockout over Adriano ‘Mikinho’ Moraes last March.

However, the 30-year-old is also wary of Pacio’s tenacity, which he showed by demolishing rival Jarred Brooks with a second-round TKO at ONE 171 this past February.

The Japanese champion recognizes that he cannot aggressively rush in against a lethal striker like Pacio. Furthermore, he must also be careful of the challenger’s elite-level grappling that has caught a lot of opponents off guard.

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Yuya Wakamatsu vows to give it his all in first title defense

A proud Japanese warrior who lives by the Bushido code, Yuya Wakamatsu would rather die than lose his 26 pounds of gold.

'Little Piranha' shed countless blood, sweat, and tears to finally realize his dream of becoming a world champion.

At ONE 173, the 135-pound MMA kingpin promises to keep the belt in Japan.

"Ever since I became a champion, well, nothing has changed. My mindset and mentality remain the same. Just because I'm the champion, I'm not treating this fight any differently from the last time. I will really give it my all in this fight and the camp every day, and live as if there's no tomorrow," he told ONE.

Stay tuned to Sportskeeda and ONE Championship for more ONE 173-related news.