“Ready to be let off the leash” - Liam Harrison prepared to strike in his looming return at ONE 167 against Katsuki Kitano
Liam Harrison is ready to unleash the pent-up excitement he's been keeping for nearly two years. The British Muay Thai legend will make his highly anticipated return to action when he takes on Katsuki Kitano at ONE 167 on June 7 at Impact Arena.
The Bangkok fight will be the first time Harrison competes inside the circle after he suffered a nasty knee injury against then-ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world champion Nong-O Hama at ONE on Prime Video 1 in August 2022.
Harrison has since worked through rehabilitation and surgery to get into the best possible shape at this point in his career.
In an Instagram post, Liam Harrison showed the hard work he's been putting on at Bad Company in Leeds and what he feels mere weeks before his comeback.
"Ready to be let off the leash 🐺 @andybadco1 #muaythai #padwork," wrote Harrison.
The multi-time Muay Thai and kickboxing world champion has always been one of the most exciting fighters in ONE Championship, and he plans to bring that level of tenacity when he faces Kitano in Bangkok.
Before he suffered a nasty knee injury in his match against Nong-O in 2022, Harrison was coming off two straight knockout wins against Mohammed Bin Mahmoud and Muangthai PK Saenchai.
The win against Muangthai at ONE 156 was the definitive proof of Harrison's unbeatable spirit. After getting knocked down, twice, in the first round, Liam Harrison mounted an inspirational charge and laid Muangthai down three consecutive times for what became one of the greatest comeback wins in Muay Thai history.
Liam Harrison admits contemplating retirement amid injury layoff
Such was the devastating effect his knee injury caused, that Liam Harrison admitted to contemplating retirement during his time away from competition.
In an interview with talkSPORT MMA, 'Hitman' revealed that he doubted himself during the lengthy recovery process. Harrison stressed how he felt he wouldn't be his old self even if he got medically cleared to return.
Nevertheless, the 38-year-old is back and is ready to unleash his brand of action at ONE 167:
"I was just getting to the point where I was thinking, 'Am I ever going to be able to get back to what I want? Am I going to be able to get that level of sharpness back and that ferociousness back?'" said Harrison.
"I'm training now and I've got the intensity back. It took a while and there were a few times when I definitely contemplated about retiring."
ONE 167 is available live and free to all Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.