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Japanese kickboxing sensation Masaaki Noiri is refusing to get ahead of himself as he prepares to make his highly anticipated ONE Championship debut. Emanating from the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand, ONE 167 will feature a slew of notable combat sports stars.
They include Stamp Fairtex, Rodtang, and Tawanchai. Making his first appearance for the promotion, Noiri is set to square off with Thai icon Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong in a featherweight kickboxing bout.
Ahead of their clash on June 7, Noiri spoke with the South China Morning Post about his potential plans under the ONE banner and whether or not he will look to test his skills in other divisions:
"I don’t think I can go down, I don’t think I can go up. So I’ll just focus on featherweight," Noiri said.
See the full interview below:
With a win over Sitthichai, Masaaki Noiri will immediately establish himself as one of the featherweight kickboxing division's top contenders, setting the stage for a potential clash with reigning ONE world champion Chingiz Allazov.
Sitthichai determined to keep his ranking intact against the debuting Masaaki Noiri
Standing in Masaaki Noiri's way of a big win in his ONE debut is Sitthichai, a 128-win veteran who has competed against some of the best strikers in the world, such as Superbon, three-time GLORY Kickboxing world champion Marat Grigorian, Tawanchai, and the aforementioned Chingiz Allazov.
As it stands, Sitthichai is the No. 3-ranked contender in the featherweight kickboxing division. He'll look to cling onto that ranking after coming up short in two of his last three outings. Still, the eight-time kickboxing and Muay Thai world champion has more than proven himself against the best of the best.
ONE 167 will offer him another chance to do that once again.
Who leaves with a big win when ONE heads back to 'The Land of Smiles'?
ONE Championship fans in the United States and Canada can watch ONE 167 live and for free via Amazon Prime Video in U.S. primetime on Friday, June 7.
