Yuya Wakamatsu to defend his flyweight crown against strawweight king Joshua Pacio at ONE 173 in Tokyo 

The ONE flyweight MMA world champion, Yuya Wakamatsu, has his first assignment as the divisional king locked in for ONE 173 inside the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan.

On Sunday, November 16, the Japanese martial artist gets his reign underway against reigning ONE strawweight MMA world champion Joshua Pacio, who can become the sport's next two-division king.

ONE Championship confirmed this five-round world title scrap on its website earlier today.

Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more

In his last outing, Yuya Wakamatsu (19-6) achieved his career-long goal inside the deafening Saitama Super Arena at ONE 172 this past March.

'Little Piranha' put former longtime titleholder Adriano Moraes to sleep in the very first round of their world title rematch to secure redemption and lay his hands on the promotion's coveted 26 pounds of gold.

Under the ONE banner alone, the Tribe Tokyo MMA product has amassed nine victories, the latest of which is a remarkable four-fight winning streak against Xia Wei, Danny Kingad, Gilbert Nakatani, and Moraes.

Now, he can prove why he's regarded as one of the best flyweights on earth against an opponent who's ripped through most opponents in the 125-pound division.

---

Joshua Pacio seeks two-division glory vs Yuya Wakamatsu in Japan

Standing in Yuya Wakamatsu's way of a first successful title defense is none other than a warrior who's grown into one of the most well-rounded MMA fighters on the ONE Championship roster.

Pacio (23-4) has established himself as a fan-favorite since an astonishing second-round TKO win over Robin Catalan in his promotional bow in April 2016.

He has added 13 more triumphs to his resume, which include several highlight-reel wins against Kritsada Kongsrichai, Roy Doliguez, Lan Ming Qiang, Pongsiri Mitsatit, Yosuke Saruta (twice), and Rene Catalan.

Most recently, 'The Passion' recaptured the strawweight MMA crown from Jarred Brooks with a second-round TKO during their trilogy match at ONE 171: Qatar in February this year.

The 29-year-old fighter has looked in top shape in his past couple of outings, and fans can expect a great effort against Yuya Wakamatsu to unlock his dream of becoming a two-division MMA world champion.

Head over to watch.onefc.com for how-to-watch info on ONE 173: Superbon vs. Noiri on Sunday, November 16. The card takes place at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan.

Follow One Championship News, Schedule & Results at Sportskeeda.

Edited by Himakshu Vyas