ONE Championship: “You can start seeing the red marks” - Buakaw points out Masaaki Noiri’s persistent calf kicks that broke Tawanchai

Muay Thai legend Buakaw Banchamek has pinpointed the exact thing that broke featherweight Muay Thai king Tawanchai PK Saenchai in his shocking technical knockout loss to Masaaki Noiri last March.

Noiri sent the kickboxing world into a spin when he finished Tawanchai inside the distance in their ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang clash a couple of months ago, in the process winning the ONE interim featherweight kickboxing world title.

Buakaw watched the fight closely and broke it down for his fans on his YouTube channel.

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The legendary fighter said:

"Noiri was going back to the low kicks. Noiri looks faster. He’s definitely throwing a lot more now. You can start seeing the red marks on Tawanchai’s thigh. He must be feeling it. They hurt, trust me."

Noiri's victory has set up an inevitable world title unification bout against reigning ONE featherweight kickboxing king Superbon.

ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang went down live at 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 explains what went wrong for Tawanchai PK Saenchai against Masaaki Noiri: "He couldn’t throw strikes properly"

Buakaw Banchamek believes it was Masaaki Noiri's heavy leg kicking game that hampered Tawanchai PK Saenchai's movement in their ONE 172 showdown, and which ultimately led to the Thai star's downfall. He said:

"Tawanchai couldn’t stand firm after that first shot. Even at the start of round three, he couldn’t throw strikes properly. When your balance is gone, you fall apart. I’ve been there. I know that kind of pain."

Masaaki Noiri and Superbon are expected to unify the ONE featherweight kickboxing world title sometime later this year.

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 Jigyanshushri Mahanta