“It came at a bit of a crap time” – Muay Thai legend Liam Harrison says spell on the sidelines was ill-timed
British Muay Thai legend Liam Harrison laments how his knee injury cost him an opportunity to win a world title but is now looking to move past it as he makes his return to action in June.
"Hitman' will be making his comeback against Japanese Katsuki Kitano in a bantamweight Muay Thai duel at ONE 167: Stamp vs Zamboanga on June 7 at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.
It comes nearly two years since he injured his knee in the opening round of his title clash against former ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world champion Nong-O Hama in August 2022.
Speaking to talkSPORT MMA in an interview, Liam Harrison recalled what he went through and how bad he felt on missing out on a golden opportunity to become a world champion.
He said:
"So it was an absolute disaster, really. It's just one of them things like you see people get injured in a free or freak accident. You see people get injured like the shin breaks and the knees going and stuff every now and then, it's something that happens regularly, like I have 120 pro fights nearly and that's the worst injury I've ever got. It just came at a bit of a crap time because it was during a world title fight."
'Hitman' went on to say that there is no longer a point crying over spilled milk and now he is looking forward to picking things up in his scheduled comeback, saying:
"But yeah, it is what it is and we're back here now. So I'm just looking forward to getting back in the ring and picking up where I left off really."
Liam Harrison out to showcase things he worked on while he was away in comeback fight
While he was recuperating from his knee injury, Liam Harrison also took time to work on certain facets of his game in preparation for his eventual return to action.
That will come at ONE 167: Stamp vs Zamboanga on June 7 in Bangkok, Thailand, and he looks to showcase the results of his work against Japanese opponent Katsuki Kitano.
In an interview with Sportskeeda MMA, Liam Harrison spoke of the things he worked on during his time away from competing.
He said:
"I was working a lot on my explosivity, my strength, my power, and stuff my S&C coaches. So yeah, I'm looking forward to getting in there and putting all that back to test in a proper fight."
Watch the interview below:
Harrison will battle Kitano in a bantamweight Muay Thai joust, part of ONE 167, which is headlined by the ONE atomweight MMA world championship fight between reigning champion Stamp Fairtex and Filipino challenger Denice Zamboanga.
ONE 167 is available live and for free in U.S. primetime to North American fans via Amazon Prime Video.