Yuya Wakamatsu, Chatri Sityodtong, Demetrious Johnson (©ONE Championship)

Former UFC Flyweight Champion Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson, 32, will make his ONE Championship debut at “ONE: A New Era.” Training out of AMC Pankration in Kirkland, Washington, United States, he will face former Pancrase Flyweight Tournament Champion Yuya “Little Piranha” Wakamatsu, 24, who is training out of Tribe Tokyo MMA in Tokyo, Japan.

Johnson and Wakamatsu had their official face-off during their kick-off press conference for “ONE: A New Era” on March 28, 2019 at the Ritz Carlton in Tokyo. During the event, the American contender said, “This is the next step in my evolution as an athlete.”

“It should be interesting,” Johnson continued. “For me it’s a long time coming, fighting in front of my Japanese fan base.”

“I’m not taking Yuya Wakamatsu lightly,” the former UFC Flyweight Champion added. “I just want to go out there and do what I do best, be the best Demetrious Johnson I can be.”

Taking place at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo on March 31, 2019, “ONE: A New Era” is the first ever ONE Championship event to take place in Japan. In the 11th bout of the evening, Johnson and Wakamatsu will compete in the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix quarter-finals.

Johnson currently holds a professional MMA record of 27 wins and 3 losses while Wakamatsu has 10 wins and 3 losses. Both fighters are coming out of a loss.

On August 4, 2018, Johnson defended his UFC Flyweight Championship title for the 12th time at “UFC 227” at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, USA. He lost via split decision to Henry “The Messenger” Cejudo, 32, of Phoenix, Arizona, USA.

On September 22, 2018, Wakamatsu made his ONE Championship debut at “ONE: Conquest of Heroes” at the Jakarta Convention Center in Jakarta, Indonesia. He lost to Danny “The King” Kingad, 23, of the Philippines via unanimous decision.

Featured on the “ONE: A New Era” card are 11 mixed martial arts bouts and four ONE Super Series matches, which include two kickboxing contests and two Muay Thai contests. There will be four title bouts, which are the main event and the three co-main events.

“ONE: A New Era” will be headlined by Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki, 35, of Japan and reigning ONE Lightweight World Champion Eduard “Landslide” Folayang, 35, of the Philippines in a rematch. Meanwhile, here is Johnson in a recent open workout in Tokyo:

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