"We will both be hungry for victory" - Sitthichai expects a "fun and exciting fight" alongside Masaaki Noiri
A fighter with the kind of pedigree that Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong brings to the table is no stranger to stepping into proper slugfests against the highest quality of warriors. He's made a career out of taking on the biggest challenges that are out there, and he's not short of options in the stacked ONE featherweight kickboxing division.
At ONE 167, he will look to get back in the win column following back-to-back defeats when he takes on a new arrival in the division. The debut of Masaaki Noiri was always going to be a big occasion after what he had accomplished in Japan.
The Thai veteran was always going to be happy to play the role of the welcoming party as ONE Championship fans finally get to see what Noiri is all about when he goes straight in against one of the top guys in the division.
In a recent interview with South China Morning Post, Sitthichai spoke about this matchup and how he intends on meeting Noiri straight on fight night:
"We both want to win so the fans can expect a fun and exciting fight because we will both be hungry for victory."
Sitthichai has the opportunity to secure a game-changing win
Coming back from consecutive losses is now the easiest thing to do, but for Sitthichai, he has a great opportunity to reverse his fortunes on June 7.
Bouncing back with a big win is one thing, but doing so while spoiling the highly anticipated debut of Noiri only adds to what is at stake in this fight.
Noiri isn't short on pedigree either. A win of this magnitude on his debut will put him right in the mix at the top of the division with just one fight.
However, his opponent isn't showing up just to be a dance partner for the new arrival, and you can be sure of that when they lock horns early next month.
ONE 167 will air live from the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand, on June 7.