WATCH: Liam Harrison shares throwback footage of sparring with Cookie Sinbimuaythai

Liam Harrison is aching to get back in the ring.

The fourth-ranked ONE bantamweight Muay Thai fighter recently felt nostalgic and posted a video from years ago from his travels in Thailand. In a video posted to his Instagram, he was play-sparring Muay Thai champion Wanchai Cooki Lokwichit, a coach at Sinbi Muay Thai in Phuket.

Here’s what Liam Harrison said about the sparring experience as he hopes to return strong this year:

“Play Sparring with cookie__sinbimuaythai a few years ago …really missing sparring at the min and gonna be a good few months before I can get back to it. Hope iv not forgotten everything”

Liam Harrison is a lifetime Muay Thai fighter, ever since he fell in love with the sport at the age of 13. Fighting more than one hundred times in his lifetime and capturing eight Muay Thai world championships, the Brit signed with ONE Championship in 2018.

After dropping his first two contests, he figured out his stride with back-to-back first-round knockouts of Mohammed bin Mahmoud and Muangthai PK. Saenchai. The streak led to a world title fight against Nong-O Hama last August, which saw Harrison get finished by a damaging leg kick from the Thai world champion.

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Liam Harrison shares how Thai locals came to respect his grind

At the age of 18, Liam Harrison took a scary step into the world of Muay Thai.

The British striker moved to Thailand to train with locals and solidify his career in the sport. However, the eventual respect from the Thai people came at the cost of several comforts and pains.

In a video shared on Liam Harrison’s Instagram (from an appearance on Paddy Pimblett’s podcast), he shares stories from his early days in Thailand where he struggled for acceptance through brutal workouts. Take a look:

"On a morning, I would do my 10K, running back to the gym. I'm tired, they were fresh and they’d go, ‘Come on Liam, sparring, come on Liam, clinching,’ and they’d just batter me every day. And it were f****** mentally draining getting that every day. But after a few months, when I started winning my fights, getting more experience, by the time I left after two years, like even with the top level guys, I were up there with them.”

The investment in his craft and the sacrifices he made ultimately paid off, as Harrison became one of the most feared strikers in the world. Awaiting his first fight of 2023, Liam must first recover from the knee surgery he underwent this month.

When he’s ready and healthy, expect a fired-up Englishman ready to make another run at the belt.