Liam Nolan says Chris Knowles was more of a ‘father figure’ than a coach: “He even picked me up from school”

Unlike most kids who grew up in the hustle and bustle of London, ‘Lethal’ Liam Nolan couldn’t simply enjoy the fancier things in life.

Raised by a single mother in one of the most expensive cities in the world, times were tough for the ONE Championship superstar as far as he can remember. Even as a kid, the Brit striker took odd jobs to ease the burden of his mentor and backbone of support.

During that time, too, the young gun stumbled across a martial arts gym not far off where he lives. Without much interest in studying and a burning desire to help his mom, Liam Nolan took up the sport with two things at the back of his mind – a way to balance life and change his fortunes at home.

Call it love at first sight or whatever you want, but everything about the place raised an interest in his eyes from the first time he stepped inside the gym.

Still, he needed the proper guidance to make it to the top, and that was when Chris Knowles, owner and head coach of Knowlesy Academy, took him under his wing and turned the dreamy young star into the phenom he is today.

However, Knowles wasn’t just holding pads or pushing his young star whenever he needed motivation. The former athlete even provided Liam Nolan with a job and, at times, dropped him back home from school.

Ahead of his lightweight Muay Thai war versus Sinsamut Klinmee at ONE Fight Night 16, the 6-foot-2 athlete detailed the impact Knowles had on him during his formative years.

He told ONE Championship:

“Chris Knowles [was] like a father figure to me. He even picked me up from school, gave me a job in the gym, and kept me training. He always spoke positively about my training and about what I could achieve. I believed him.”

That faith and trust shown by Knowles evidently hasn’t gone to waste, not one bit.

More than a decade since calling it quits at school to focus on his budding career, ‘Lethal’ has evolved into one of the finest Muay Thai practitioners fighting out of the United Kingdom.

On the global stage of ONE Championship alone, the WBC Muay Thai world champion has picked up three victories against elite strikers to position himself as one of the leading contenders for a shot at a ONE world title.

A victory for him over Sinsamut could speed up that process, and Liam Nolan hopes that will very well be the case when he returns to the global stage of ONE on Friday, November 3.

ONE Fight Night 16 will emanate live from the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription can tune in to the entire event live and for free in U.S. primetime.