For Yuya Wakamatsu, April 29 is not just a title fight. It is the most personal night of his career.
The ONE Flyweight MMA World Champion makes his second title defence against Avazbek Kholmirzaev in the co-main event of ONE SAMURAI 1, live on pay-per-view from Ariake Arena in Tokyo on Wednesday, April 29. He will do it in front of his family, his fans, and a home crowd yet again.
"Fighting in Japan is a great honor. I used to fight overseas, but now that I can fight in Japan, the country where I grew up, my fans can watch and my family can be there too," he said. "Being able to defend the World Title at ONE SAMURAI 1 makes me incredibly happy."
The occasion carries extra weight because of what this event represents. ONE SAMURAI marks the launch of ONE Championship's new monthly Japan series, and Wakamatsu has been chosen to anchor it. For a fighter who has built his entire career around the code of the samurai not as branding, but as a lived philosophy, the alignment feels significant.
"I believe in Bushido, and I live by the spirit of the samurai. This event lets me express the way I've lived my life, and show it to my family and my fans," he said. "To me, ONE itself is Bushido. That's why fighting in ONE Championship feels like destiny to me."
Wakamatsu incorporates traditional Japanese rituals into his preparation. He used Buddhist fire ceremonies to clear negative energy, waterfall training to sharpen focus. These are not affectations. They reflect his view that the mental dimension of martial arts has been gradually lost, and that restoring it matters.
"I honestly feel that we've lost that core spirit, and are focused too much on outward, physical aspects instead of what's inside," he said. "My idea of Bushido is first and foremost overcoming yourself — defeating your own weaknesses, facing them head-on, and continuing to fight them."
None of this changes the immediate problem in front of him. Kholmirzaev arrives on a nine-fight winning streak with eight finishes, and he has gone through ONE's flyweight division at a pace that has made everyone else look slow. The 25-year-old Uzbek is explosive, relentless, and has never been stopped. Wakamatsu sees him not as an obstacle but as the ideal test.
If he gets through it, the impact he hopes to leave extends well beyond a successful defence.
"The impact ONE SAMURAI will have on Japan is bringing back the Bushido spirit that people have forgotten," he said. "I want to be the one who embodies that spirit and leads the way."
