Gilbert Nakatani has a golden opportunity in his ONE Championship debut on Friday, Dec. 6.
The American-Mexican-Japanese athlete steps onto the global stage for the first time when he meets #2-ranked MMA flyweight contender Yuya Wakamatsu at ONE Fight Night 26.
The huge moment isn’t lost on Nakatani. Cherishing everything he worked for, Nakatani reflected on his introduction to combat sports and how it laid out a path to a career
“I liked to play football, baseball, soccer. I tried it all. I was just bouncing around, just trying to see what really enticed me,” Nakatani told ONE.
“When I got to high school, I didn’t know anything about wrestling. I thought wrestling was like WWE. We used to watch it on TV. Once I met my coaches, and I got to see what real wrestling, high school and collegiate wrestling, what it really was about, I gravitated to it so much.”
The Californian pushed himself throughout his early days, resulting in medals and top finishes. No matter the obstacle, he learned his mental toughness would carry him through.
But Nakatani was never alone. His family unit was headed by his grandmother, following the passing of his mother, and one of his relatives was a genuine sports star, so there was no shortage of influential characters around him.
“I still have my uncle, Corey. He’s a blessing. He’s a Hall of Fame jockey. He was one of the best in the world, and he rode horses for like 30 years,” Nakatani commented.
“He was a big inspiration to me. He still goes to my fights to this day now, and we get to spend a little more time together, as he was so busy because he was a professional athlete, cutting weight, riding horses every day, traveling here, and doing this, doing that. I looked up to him a lot.”
When Nakatani’s wrestling career came to an end, he returned home, and idle hands became the devil’s plaything.
Once a friend introduced him to Josh Aragon, head coach of Aragon Training Academy, a new outlet presented itself and captured the passion of the talented grappler.
“I was just running around with my friends and trying not to get in trouble but causing trouble. I had to do something to change my life, or I probably would have gotten in a lot of trouble,” Nakatani said.
“I actually gravitated when one of my friends was like, ‘You need to meet my coach, and I think you guys would hit it off.’ And that’s where I met my coach now, Josh Aragon. He believed in me, and we grew together.
Under Aragon’s tutelage, Nakatani had a successful amateur MMA career. After many years competing, he finally turned professional in 2019.
With a positive mindset to consistently improve, Nakatani knew it was only a matter of time until he got a chance to join the big leagues. When the phone finally rang from ONE, the flyweight hopeful’s emotions flowed over.
“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. I wanted to travel the world and show anybody who needed the 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,” the Californian said.
The call to join ONE happened on the anniversary of his mother’s passing, making it a coincidental day that would be forever remembered.
“I had gone to the cemetery to visit her, and it was an emotional day. Then I got hit with the call, and I was like, ‘No way.’ I was just crying out of happiness,” Nakatani said.
“When you’re down, you can never give up. Stay positive and continue to believe and have faith in God and help put you in the right direction. I feel like this was the right direction for me to grow internationally and really put some emphasis on my name.”
A win over Wakamatsu at ONE Fight Night 26 would be huge for the debuting star, as ONE’s stacked flyweight division is still looking to determine who will compete for its vacant crown.
ONE Fight Night 26 airs live on Prime Video at 8 p.m. EST/5 p.m. PST on Friday, Dec. 6, for free to all Amazon Prime members in the U.S. and Canada.