ONE Championship: “His lead leg was clearly bothering him” - Buakaw knew Tawanchai was in trouble after seeing him hobbling vs Masaaki Noiri

Muay Thai legend Buakaw Banchamek watched the incredibly close encounter between Thai superstar Tawanchai PK Saenchai and Japanese veteran Masaaki Noiri at ONE 172 last March, and he says he saw his countryman wobbling.

The featherweight Muay Thai king Tawanchai faced Noiri for the interim featherweight kickboxing gold in Saitama, but failed in his bid to become a two-sport world champion, losing by third-round technical knockout.

Speaking on his own YouTube channel, Buakaw Banchamek says Noiri's infamous leg kicks played a heavy role in Tawanchai's downfall.

He said:

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"Tawanchai had to be careful towards the end of the round because Noiri has been targeting the same spot. His kicks are so effective. And he’s hit Tawanchai quite a few times. You can suspect that Tawanchai was hurting by the end of that round. Look at how he’s standing. His lead leg was clearly bothering him."

Buakaw added:

"A lot of people actually didn’t realize how much Noiri attacked Tawanchai’s kicks. It was a smart plan but if Tawanchai did better defensively it would have been Tawanchai’s fight."

ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang was broadcast live from the iconic Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan last March 23rd.

Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action via replay on-demand on watch.onefc.com.

Buakaw Banchamek excited for Masaaki Noiri - Superbon unification fight

With Masaaki Noiri's TKO victory over Tawanchai PK Saenchai at ONE 172 in March, the Japanese star took home the interim featherweight kickboxing world title.

But perhaps more importantly, the veteran set up a highly anticipated world title unification showdown opposite Thai icon Superbon. Buakaw commented on that fight. He said:

"Next up he has a tough test against Superbon. It will be an interesting fight between two of the best in the division. He did well against Tawanchai and I think he will be a good test for Superbon."

Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for all the latest news and updates surrounding Masaaki Noiri's next fight.

About the author

Dan is an MMA writer with 10+ years of overall experience. Before his ongoing tenure at Sportskeeda, Dan got the opportunity to be at the forefront of the sport by contributing to ONE Championship and Fight Game Asia. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology.

Dan’s connection to MMA started during the early days of the UFC and ONE Championship. He previously practiced boxing and ranks Demetrious Johnson, Anderson Silva, Georges St-Pierre, Jon Jones, and Fedor Emelianenko as the top five MMA fighters of all time.

He has covered several events onsite and on the ground for ONE Championship and hopes to continue doing so. He ensures that he churns out accurate articles by citing only legitimate sources and getting firsthand accounts through exclusive interviews whenever required.

Dan feels MMA fighter pay seems like an issue because it often gets compared to what fighters earn in boxing but that MMA will eventually catch up in the future.

His other interests include soccer and video games.

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Edited by Tejas Rathi