ONE: Bad Blood - Yosuke Saruta starts journey to reclaim ONE Strawweight World Title

Bengaluru, February 9: Yosuke Saruta will restart his climb toward the ONE Strawweight World Championship when he faces Cuban Olympic wrestler Gustavo "El Gladiador" Balart at ONE: Bad Blood this Friday (February 11).

The 34-year-old Japanese man fell short in reclaiming the ONE Strawweight World Championship during his third fight against current titleholder Joshua "The Passion" Pacio at ONE: Revolution last September.

Five months later, the fighting pride of Saitama is raring to prove that he still has what it takes to reclaim the title he held in 2019.

However, it won't be an easy path for the #3-ranked contender because Balart is an elite grappler and a determined fighter.

"The Ninja" Saruta has nothing but praise for his upcoming opponent, who is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Ryuto Sawada at ONE: Battleground last July.

"He is a unique fighter. A fighter like him is the only fighter in the world. In the strawweight division, he is on the smaller side, but I had never seen a fighter with a smaller frame than mine. Also, he has a strong heart," Saruta shared with ONEFC.com.

"He's an Olympic wrestler, too. Before I started martial arts, I had always dreamed of becoming a world-class athlete, like an Olympian. At my age, it's an honor to be able to fight with an Olympic-level athlete, and I want to test myself."

The former world champion knows that Balart will exploit every opportunity to bring the match to the canvas. But even that possibility does not worry the Wajutsu Keishukai Hearts mainstay.

"In my past fights, there were not many fighters who tackled me. On the contrary, most of the time, I tackled opponents who were strikers. I've been doing martial arts for 15 years, and I've rarely been put on my back, so I don't have any image of not being kept or being beaten on the ground," he revealed.

While spectators limit him as a particular type of fighter, the strawweight contender with a 21-10-3 career MMA record responded that they should expect the unexpected.

"In terms of experience in MMA, I've been doing it for 15 years, and I've fought a lot of different fighters. I have a lot of strategies and techniques in mind, but fights don't always go as planned, so I've won more fights by making adjustments during the fight. I think I can take advantage of that," Saruta warned.

A win over Balart will solidify Saruta's status in the strawweight contender rankings. However, he sees a nip-and-tuck battle against the American Top Team representative.

"I think it will be a fierce battle. I think it will be a seesaw match. There will be a situation where he attacks, and I hold back, and on the other hand, there will be a situation where I attack when Balart is getting tired. I think it will be an intense match," the Japanese Warrior expressed.

"I'm prepared for a tough fight. The last thing is the finish. I will finish with strikes or submission. I think that would be a good way to show off my next goal, so I'm aiming for that."

Watch ONE: BAD BLOOD live on February 11, beginning with the lead card at 3:30 PM IST, followed by the main card at 6 PM IST, on Disney+ Hotstar. The entire event will also be available via ONE Championship's official YouTube channel and the ONE Super App.

Source: Media Release