Chatri Sityodtong details plan for Liam Harrison vs. John Lineker special-rules fight: “I think we might do that in January”

After suffering a devastating injury last year, Liam Harrison has been on a long road to recovery.

Though he originally hoped to be back inside the circle by the end of 2023, his comeback plans were pushed further back by the medical officials that he consulted.

When he does finally return to competition, ONE Championship already has big plans in mind for the ‘Hitman'.

This weekend at ONE Fight Night 14, the promotion is set to put on its first-ever special-rules striking contest. It will see ‘The Panda’ Xiong Jing Nan and Nat 'Wondergirl' Jaroonsak compete in a unique striking bout with four-ounce MMA gloves.

In an interview with the South China Morning Post Martial Arts on YouTube after ONE Friday Fights 34, Chatri Sityodtong spoke about Liam Harrison facing John Lineker under the same specialized ruleset and how this idea came around in the first place:

“They actually accepted the fight but then Liam couldn’t do it because of the doctor. So, yeah, I think we might do that in January. I don’t know when, but we’re always pushing the envelope, innovating.”

Sityodtong added:

“And next week we have our first special-rules (striking) fight again. It's essentially boxing or dirty boxing, right? In 4-ounce gloves, which is again a spectacular product we came up with, just like our submission grappling product or Muay Thai product.

“We see what’s out in the world and we try to tailor it and make it very customized and something that we believe will entertain the fans and bring out the best in our athletes.”

Watch the full interview below:

Before that firefight between Harrison and Lineker takes place in the future, fans can catch a similarly styled contest between two female striking superstars, Xiong and ‘Wondergirl', at ONE Fight Night 14.

The entire card will be available to North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.