Gilbert Nakatani relishes signing with ONE Championship ahead of first promotional fight 

Gilbert Nakatani has dreamed of competing in ONE Championship, and now that his chance will arrive at ONE Fight Night 26: Lee vs. Rasulov, he doesn’t intend on letting it go.   

The American newcomer meets #2-ranked flyweight MMA contender Yuya Wakamatsu inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium on Friday, December 6. 

Nakatani rides a four-fight winning streak into the bout, after dominating the West Coast MMA scene. When the call came from ONE, he had to pinch himself.

“Dreams come true. I believed it, but I was like, ‘Is this really happening?’ This is almost everything I’ve ever wanted. Almost a dream come true,” the 31-year-old said. 

“I wanted to travel the world and show anybody who needed inspiration, the youth, or any of my friends or family, you can really achieve what you want in life through hard work and dedication. I was super excited.”  

Gilbert Nakatani explains how “different upbringing” hardened him for life

Many of the greatest fighters in the world have come from nothing and became something. For Gilbert Nakatani, that story is one that relates to him.  

Nakatani’s success has come against all odds, and he’s relied on his athleticism to excel in sports to take him to places his circumstances otherwise wouldn’t have allowed. 

“I had a different upbringing. My childhood wasn’t a normal upbringing. I was an only child, and I lost my mother when I was 2 going on 3 years old. So, I didn’t grow up with my parents. It made it really tough being by myself,” he said. 

“I pushed myself in high school, playing sports, wrestling. Not having my parents there to cheer me on or take me to practice or tell me to do this and do that, it really made me become individually strong. It’s a hard subject to talk about for me, but it’s part of my upbringing.”