Wakamatsu Views Van Rooyen As Opening Move In Title Run

Former ONE flyweight champion Yuya Wakamatsu sees his Saturday bout against Willie van Rooyen as the opening move in a campaign to reclaim his belt.

Wakamatsu meets the South African at ONE SAMURAI 3 in Yokohama, per BJPENN.com. Van Rooyen carries an 8-1 record and a switch-hitting style that earned him a come-from-behind stoppage over Jeremy Miado in March. But it is his lone defeat that has Wakamatsu's full attention — a dismantling at the hands of Avazbek Kholmirzaev, the same fighter who stripped Wakamatsu of the title at ONE SAMURAI 1 in April. The winner of Saturday's co-main event could land directly in line for a rematch with the Uzbek champion.

Wakamatsu Shifts Camp Strategy For Van Rooyen Fight

The 31-year-old Japanese fighter has restructured his training entirely around chain wrestling and top pressure, a shift from the finishing instinct that marked his first title reign. "He's only got one loss, and that's the main fight I have to look at," Wakamatsu said, according to the report. "The footage of his face at the exact moment he realizes he's losing — I use that to build my mental image of breaking him."

Wakamatsu plans to close out the bout in dominant fashion to force his way back into title contention. His goal extends beyond Saturday — he wants the Kholmirzaev rematch before the end of next year. "My goal going forward — first, on September 12th, I'm going to brutally finish Willie Van Rooyen," he said. "Whether it's later this year or next year, I want that rematch and I want to put him out."

ONE SAMURAI 3 streams live from Yokohama Buntai on Saturday, September 12.

Reported via:

• BJPenn — Yuya Wakamatsu views Willie van Rooyen as the opening move in second ONE World Title run