[PREVIEW] Yuya Wakamatsu vs. Willie Van Rooyen | ONE SAMURAI 3

EVENT DETAILS

  • Date: September 12, 2026 (Saturday)
  • Location: Yokohama BUNTAI, Yokohama, Japan
  • Event: ONE SAMURAI 3
  • Broadcast: U-NEXT (Japan)
  • Bout: Flyweight MMA

FIGHTER DATA: YUYA WAKAMATSU

  • Alias: Little Piranha
  • Team/Gym: TRIBE TOKYO MMA (Japan)
  • Country: Japan
  • Weight Class: Flyweight MMA
  • Status: Former ONE Flyweight MMA World Champion
  • Fight Style: Explosive knockout striker with sharp boxing combinations, fast entries, and proven finishing power against elite flyweights. Wakamatsu built his rise on violence, speed, and the ability to punish even small defensive openings.
  • Notable Fights: Adriano Moraes, Joshua Pacio, Avazbek Kholmirzaev, Demetrious Johnson, Danny Kingad.

FIGHTER DATA: WILLIE VAN ROOYEN

  • Alias: White Lion
  • Team/Gym: A-Team Stars (South Africa)
  • Country: South Africa
  • Weight Class: Flyweight MMA
  • Background: Former EFC Flyweight Champion
  • Fight Style: Aggressive all-action finisher with a kickboxing base, submission ability, and a constant hunt for damage. Van Rooyen entered ONE as one of Africa’s most dangerous young flyweights and has already shown he is willing to fight forward against high-level opposition.
  • Notable Fights: Avazbek Kholmirzaev, Jeremy Miado.

FIGHT BACKGROUND & HIGHLIGHTS

Yuya Wakamatsu returns to the cage carrying the weight of a former champion. After reaching the top of ONE’s flyweight MMA division, Wakamatsu suffered a devastating title loss to Avazbek Kholmirzaev at ONE SAMURAI 1. Now, his road back begins in Yokohama.

Across from him stands Willie “White Lion” Van Rooyen, a South African finisher with a dangerous blend of striking aggression and submission threat. Van Rooyen is not being brought in as a soft comeback opponent. He represents the type of young, hungry, international challenger who can turn a former champion’s rebuild into another collapse.

For Wakamatsu, this is more than a return fight. It is a test of whether he can recover the violence, confidence, and composure that made him a world champion. For Van Rooyen, it is a chance to take the biggest name of his career and announce himself as a real threat in ONE’s flyweight division.

The Breakdown

  • The Context: Wakamatsu enters his first fight after losing the ONE Flyweight MMA World Title, while Van Rooyen arrives as a dangerous South African finisher looking for a breakthrough win.
  • The Matchup: Wakamatsu’s explosive boxing, speed, and knockout timing will be tested against Van Rooyen’s aggressive forward pressure, kickboxing base, and submission threat.
  • The Key Question: Can Wakamatsu stay disciplined after a painful title loss, or will Van Rooyen turn the comeback fight into a chaotic firefight?
  • The Stakes: A win puts Wakamatsu back on the road toward title contention. A loss would make the fall from champion to contender far more difficult to reverse.

HAGAKURE ANGLE

The hardest fight after losing a throne is not always the rematch. Sometimes it is the first step back.

Wakamatsu has already proven he can become champion. That part of the story is finished. What remains is more severe: whether he can rebuild after the world has seen him fall. Former champions do not only fight opponents. They fight memory.

Van Rooyen brings the opposite energy. He is not carrying a lost crown. He is carrying hunger. The “White Lion” does not need to protect a legacy. He only needs to attack one.

This is the beauty of the matchup. One man is trying to rise again. The other is trying to make that rise impossible.

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