"See you soon" - Mansur Malachiev hints at Yuya Wakamatsu showdown, congratulates him for TKO victory over Joshua Pacio

Russian submission machine Mansur Malachiev wasted no time making his intentions clear following Yuya Wakamatsu's successful world title defense in the co-main event of ONE 173.

The 34-year-old Dagestani warrior took to Instagram shortly after the spectacle to congratulate the reigning ONE flyweight MMA world champion for acing his first test as the divisional king inside the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan.

His message, however, carried an ominous warning about what's coming next for 'Little Piranha.'

"My congratulations @yw0209c4 see you soon," Mansur Malachiev wrote on ONE Championship's post that highlighted Wakamatsu's successful night out in Japan.

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The No.2-ranked strawweight contender, who has set his sights on a new stint at flyweight, has been wanting in on a shot at ONE gold since debuting inside the Circle in June 2023.

For the 30-year-old Wakamatsu, who earned a US$50,000 performance bonus for his devastating TKO win over Joshua Pacio last Sunday, November 16, Malachiev represents a dangerous challenge from a fighter with nothing to lose and everything to prove.

Fans who missed any of the action from ONE 173: Superbon vs. Noiri can head to live.onefc.com to purchase the pay-per-view replay ticket.

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Mansur Malachiev's form in ONE Championship

Since arriving in the world's largest martial arts organization, Mansur Malachiev has racked up a 4-1 resume across the strawweight and flyweight MMA divisions.

The Industrial Fighters martial artist opened his promotional account at ONE Fight Night 11 in June 2023, where he submitted Filipino warrior Jeremy Miado in the first round.

His sophomore outing, unfortunately, didn't go as planned. The Dagestani grappling specialist dropped a unanimous decision to Joshua Pacio.

Since then, he's gone on to claim three victories on the trot, two against Yosuke Saruta and Bokang Masunyane, coming at strawweight, while he debuted in flyweight with a second-round submission of Jarred Brooks at ONE Fight Night 36 last month.

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Edited by Saiyed Adeem Karim