“I’m enjoying the flow” - Liam Nolan relishing the usual pre-match festivities ahead of ONE Fight Night 31 return
Liam Nolan is back in the swing of things.
In January, 'Lethal' announced that he would be retiring from combat sports after nearly 15 years of competing. However, a change of heart has led Nolan to his highly anticipated return to the ring, scheduled to go down on Friday, May 2 when ONE Championship returns to the legendary Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok for ONE Fight Night 31 on Prime Video.
There, Nolan will run it back with Spanish standout Nauzet Trujillo, the last man to defeat him on martial arts' biggest global stage.
Speaking with ONE, Nolan detailed all the changes that he's going through while preparing for his comeback fight. And while it all sounds quite overwhelming, he seems to be handling it with open arms.
“It’s for the love of it," Nolan said. "I’m trying to enjoy it. There’s a lot of changes with coaches and routines, and trying to get my own house and stuff. I’m going through a lot of transitions, but I’m happy to be back, and I’m enjoying the flow.”
Liam Nolan opens up on taking break to focus on life
For Nolan, walking away from the sport in January wasn't necessarily about hanging up his gloves for good.
Simply explained, 'Lethal' just needed a break to take care of matters outside of the Circle.
"It wasn't overnight. I just decided I had to focus on life," Nolan added. "ONE is great, but after a couple of months, I spoke to my family and told them I needed to take a break from all of it for a while and get my house in order."
Overall, Nolan is 22-8 in his professional fighting career with some of his biggest wins under the ONE banner coming against Kim Kyung Lock, Eddie Abasolo, and Ali Aliev.
In February 2024, he came up short against Nauzet Trujillo, though the decision came with a hint of controversy. At least, enough for the promotion to book a rematch between the two.
Will 'Lethal' get back into the win column and make one more run at 26 pounds of ONE gold, or will Trujillo go two-up on the Brit and spoil Nolan's big return?
ONE Fight Night 31 will air live on Amazon Prime Video in the United States and Canada in U.S. primetime on Friday, May 2.