Representing Japan, Tatsumitsu “The Sweeper” Wada, 30, was one of the winners at “ONE: Roots of Honor.” The victory qualified him to the semi-finals of ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix.
Featuring two kickboxing contests, two Muay Thai bouts and 11 mixed martial arts matches, “ONE: Roots of Honor” took place at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City, Metro Manila, Philippines on April 12, 2019. In the 13th bout of the evening, Wada and Gustavo “El Gladiador” Balart, 32, of Cuba competed in the quarter-finals of ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix.
Balart made his ONE Championship debut at “ONE: Roots of Honor.” He was the only fighter who represented Cuba.
On the other hand, Wada was one of the four fighters who represented Japan. It marked his fourth ONE Championship bout.
After three five-minute rounds, the flyweight bout between Wada and Balart was left in the hands of the judges. In the end, referee Olivier Coste raised the hand of Wada, who was declared the winner via unanimous decision.
Winning at “ONE: Roots of Honor” improved Wada’s professional MMA record to 21 wins, 10 losses and 2 draws. On the other hand, Balart now has 8 wins and 2 losses.
Including Japan and Cuba, 18 countries were represented at “ONE: Roots of Honor.” The other countries were Afghanistan, Australia, Brazil, China, Cuba, Indonesia, Mongolia, Morocco, the Netherlands, Romania, Serbia, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, Vietnam and the United States.
In the semi-finals of ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix, Wada will face Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson, 32, of the U.S. The winner will move to the final to face whoever wins between Kairat “The Kazakh” Akhmetov, 31, of Kazakhstan and Danny “The King” Kingad, 23, of the Philippines in the other semi-final bout.
Wada has been competing professionally as an MMA fighter since 2008. He joined ONE Championship in 2018.
Here is Wada’s ring walkout at “ONE: Roots of Honor” at the SM Mall of Asia Arena:
CONAN Daily 