Masaaki Noiri eyes a quick finish over Sitthichai at ONE 167: "That's a clear way to make a statement"
Masaaki Noiri wants to knock out Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong quicker than Marat Grigorian.
Noiri, a former two-division K-1 world champion, is scheduled to make his highly-anticipated promotional debut ONE 167 on Friday.
Standing across from the Japanese superstar is number three-ranked featherweight kickboxer Sitthichai, who is coming off a third-round knockout loss against Grigorian.
Later this week, Noiri plans to make a statement and jump to the top of the ONE featherweight kickboxing division. To do so, the 31-year-old believes he needs to take out Sitthichai faster than Grigorian. Explaining the same during an interview with ONE, he said:
"My thinking is that since Grigorian knocked out Sitthichai in the third round if I can get the KO quicker than that, many people will recognize my strength. That's a clear way to make a statement."
ONE 167 goes down inside the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand. The June 7 event featuring Sitthichai vs. Masaaki Noiri can be seen live in U.S. primetime for free by North American and Canadian viewers with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.
What's at stake between Masaaki Noiri and Sitthichai at ONE 167?
Heading into ONE 167, Sitthichai is looking for a bounce-back win after getting knocked out by Marat Grigorian last time out. The eight-time kickboxing and Muay Thai world champion remains the division's number three-ranked fighter, giving him a chance to secure a title shot with an impressive performance later this week.
Meanwhile, Masaaki Noiri has more to prove at Friday's event. Noiri has proven to be a world-class striker in other organizations. That said, he must showcase his skills on ONE Championship's global platform by taking out the always dangerous Sitthichai.
With a win at ONE 167, Noiri would quickly put himself in the featherweight kickboxing title picture. Considering ONE's expansion into Japan, the 31-year-old would have an opportunity to become one of the promotion's biggest superstars.
It should be noted that ONE plans to hold a ONE Featherweight World Grand Prix Championship starting later this year. Regardless of the ONE 167 result, Sitthichai and Noiri are expected to be featured in the highly-anticipated tournament.