“I’m faster and sharper” - Liam Harrison raring to return to ONE Championship after brief ‘retirement’
Veteran striker Liam Harrison is excited for his return to ONE Championship action after reconsidering his decision to call it a career in the "Home of Martial Arts" in his last match.
'Hitman' is scheduled for ONE 173: Denver on Aug. 1 in the United States. He is going up against Myanmar's Soe Lin Oo in a bantamweight Muay Thai showdown, part of the event happening in the Mile High City and marking the return of the promotion to the U.S. for the third year in a row.
It will come nearly a year after Harrison retired following his TKO loss to Thai Seksan Or Kwanmuang in his last ONE match also in Denver in September 2024.
In an interview with combat sports journalist Nick Atkin, Liam Harrison said he is pumped for his scheduled return to ONE Championship, vowing to give a better performance this time around.
The 39-year-old said:
"I spat me dummy out after that Seksan fight, but like I’ve been out of the ring a long time and stuff and now my conditioning’s back. My timing’s back. I’m faster and sharper again."
Watch the full interview below:
The match against Seksan last time around was the first for Liam Harrison in two years after going down with a knee injury that required extensive rehabilitation.
He saw action last month in a WBC match and won the Muay Thai Diamond Belt, something he is now looking to build on as he prepares for ONE 173.
For more details on ONE 173: Denver, check out onefc.com.
Liam Harrison taking it a match at a time in ONE Championship return
Liam Harrison is excited to make his return to ONE Championship at ONE 173: Denver but is not committing beyond it just yet. He instead is taking it a match at time, choosing to see where he is at following the match.
He made this known in the same interview with Nick Atkin, citing he does not want to put too much pressure on himself, saying:
"I’m putting no pressure on myself. I’ve got two fights left on my contract, so I’m putting no pressure on myself, one fight at a time. And I’ll just see where I go from there."
The showdown between Harrison and Soe Lin Oo is one of three already confirmed matches so far for ONE 173: Denver.
The other is the atomweight MMA unification title fight between reigning divisional queen Stamp Fairtex and interim world champion Denice Zamboanga. Also set is the middleweight submission grappling clash between Giancarlo Bodoni and Rafael Lovato Jr.