"He got caught with a body shot" - Masaaki Noiri taking a page out of Marat Grigorian's book to vanquish Sitthichai at ONE 167

Japanese superstar Masaaki Noiri wants to make a huge splash in his ONE Championship debut this coming weekend against Sitthichai Sitsongpenong.

The multi-division K-1 world champion believes he already found a crack in the Thai veteran's armor, which he'll look to exploit at ONE 167: Tawanchai vs Nattawut II on Prime Video.

Noiri has been quite vocal about his desire to knock out 'Killer Kid' this coming Friday, June 7, at Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.

By the looks of it, the Team Vasileus product has picked up a few pointers from Sitthichai's most recent setback against Marat Grigorian.

Masaaki Noiri told ONE in an exclusive interview:

"His weakness is defense when the distance gets closed. Last time, he got caught with a body shot for the KO loss, so that will be an area to target this fight."

Last January, Sitthichai and Grigorian reignited their longstanding rivalry at ONE 165 in Tokyo, Japan.

While the Thai veteran did well from mid-range, he was obviously outmatched whenever Grigorian charged in and detonated with short punches.

Noiri certainly took notes when Sitthichai crumbled via a brutal body shot KO in round 3.

Let's see if the 31-year-old star will employ the same tactic at ONE 167, which will air live in US Primetime, free of charge for those with a Prime Video subscription in the United States and Canada.

---

Masaaki Noiri seeking the fastest road to a world title shot

A win over the third-ranked Sitthichai should give Masaaki Noiri a spot in the talent-stacked ONE featherweight kickboxing top 5.

The Japanese dynamo knows it might not be enough to warrant a world title shot against Chingiz Allazov. However, he knows it would open the door for him to possibly face the biggest names in the division, like Grigorian, Tawanchai, or perhaps even interim champ Superbon.

The K-1 world champion said in a ONE interview:

"I think how I win this fight will be important. It will determine my next opponent. But I want to get to the world title as soon as possible."