ONE 172: “That was the most significant lesson” - Masaaki Noiri shares the adjustments he made after dropping first two matches in ONE

31-year-old former two-division K-1 kickboxing world champion Masaaki Noiri of Japan turned things around dramatically in his last fight after two heartbreaking setbacks in ONE Championship.

Noiri joined the world's largest martial arts organization in June of 2024, dropping back-to-back losses to 'Killer Kid' Shitthichai Sitsongpeenong and Liu Mengyang. At that point, many fans had written Noiri off, and one more defeat would have sent the Japanese star over the edge.

However, Noiri returned to action in January of this year to score a second-round knockout victory over Iraq's Shakir Al-Tekreeti at ONE 170 in Bangkok.

Speaking to ONE Championship in a recent interview, Noiri detailed the lessons he learned and the changes he made in camp to bring on success.

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The Japanese star said:

"In my fight against Sitthichai, the biggest thing I learned was how fights are scored in ONE. The way I had been fighting previously didn’t really work here because the scoring criteria are different. I think that was the most significant lesson for me."

Now, Noiri is ready to realize his ultimate goal of becoming ONE world champion when he goes for the gold next weekend in front of his hometown crowd.

Masaaki Noiri to face Tawanchai PK Saenchai for interim gold at ONE 172 in Japan

Japanese kickboxing veteran Masaaki Noiri is ready to face ONE featherweight Muay Thai king Tawanchai PK Saenchai of Thailand in his toughest test yet on the global stage of ONE Championship.

Noiri will challenge Tawanchai for the ONE interim featherweight kickboxing gold when the two face off at ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang, which will broadcast live from the iconic Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, on Sunday, March 23rd.

Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action live via global pay-per-view on watch.onefc.com.

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 C. Nayak