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Liam Nolan is set to return to the ONE Championship ring at ONE Fight Night 18, where he will take on an opponent that he isn’t overly familiar with.
The lightweight Muay Thai contender hasn’t been seen competing under the ONE Championship banner in over a year after his return was postponed due to illnesses and injuries.
Ready to remind everyone just why they call him ‘Lethal’, Nolan is set to compete at the first American primetime event of the year against the debuting Ali Aliev.
The Brit has enough experience to be confident in his ability to adapt to any opponent, and that will serve him well in this contest. Aliev is stepping into the promotion as an unknown quantity to some degree, but this question mark handing over his opponent doesn’t worry Nolan.
Liam Nolan told the South China Morning Post that it’ll be business as usual for him this Friday, January 12:
“I've not seen too much of him. I've seen a few clips, but my trainer has got a lot of faith that I can get the job done. And we've been working on some tricks in training, so yeah, we’re confident.”
Watch the full interview below:
A win at ONE Fight Night 18 will set Liam Nolan up for big things in 2024
The short battle with illness that Liam Nolan went through at the end of 2023 cost him a huge fight that could have cemented him as the next ONE lightweight Muay Thai title challenger.
Booked for a rematch with Sinsamut Klinmee at ONE Fight Night 16, the matchup spoke for itself in terms of the stakes that were on the line for both elite warriors.
Though he is still eager to run that fight back with Sinsamut, he is now focused on staying active this year, and that all kicks off inside the 'Mecca of Muay Thai' in a couple of days.
A win over Aliev will set Nolan up for bigger and better things throughout the year. Still, that doesn’t mean he can afford to overlook an opponent he doesn’t know all that much about.
ONE Fight Night 18 will air live and free in U.S. primetime for North American viewers with an active Prime Video subscription on January 12. Check local listings for more details.
