“One of the most dangerous fighters I’ve ever fought” - Liam Harrison raves about ONE’s latest star signing Masaaki Noiri
Veteran British striker Liam Harrison touts highly ONE Championship newcomer Masaaki Noiri. That's because he had the opportunity to face the Japanese kickboxer in the past and came away impressed.
Noiri, 31, is the latest high-profile signee of ONE from the 'Land of the Rising Sun' after fellow K-1 legend Takeru Segawa. He was a two-division K-1 world champion and a former WBC Japanese Muay Thai champion.
He and Harrison met in Glory a little over a decade ago, and he emerged the winner by way of a second-round TKO.
In an interview with the South China Morning Post, Liam Harrison could not help but rave about Noiri. The 38-year-old Leeds, England, native shared:
"I tell you what, he's a lovely guy, [Masaaki] Noiri. And I'd tell you what, he's one of the most dangerous fighters I've ever fought. I think he was around 18 when we fought, I was in my late 20s. Yeah, it was a good fight. He was so unorthodox, he's sharp, powerful, he's really a good fighter."
Watch the interview below:
Liam Harrison, Masaaki Noiri feature at ONE 167 against separate opponents
Liam Harrison and Masaaki Noiri will feature against separate opponents at ONE 167: Stamp vs. Zamboanga on June 7 at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.
'Hitman' will be making his long-awaited return to competition after nearly two years, taking on Japanese Katsuki Kitano in bantamweight Muay Thai clash. It is Liam Harrison's first fight since injuring his knee in his title bid against former bantamweight Muay Thai king Nong-O Hama in August 2022.
At ONE 167, he will be up against Kitano, who is 11 years his junior and had a successful ONE debut last October with a unanimous decision victory over Dutch fighter Halil Kutukcu.
Meanwhile, Noiri will be going up against Thai fighter Sitthichai 'Killer Kid' Sitsongpeenong in a featherweight kickboxing joust. Sitthichai is out to break a two-fight losing streak against Noiri, who is looking to make it a winning ONE Championship debut.
ONE 167 is headlined by the ONE atomweight MMA world title fight between reigning champion Stamp Fairtex and No. 2 contender Denice Zamboanga.
It will be available live and for free to North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.