“Hurt his calves”- Masaaki Noiri says initial plan was to chop down Tawanchai before KO opportunity came

Newly minted ONE interim featherweight kickboxing world champion Masaaki Noiri was ready to go the full route in his recent title clash with Tawanchai PK Saenchai but not after inflicting damage to the lower limbs of his opponent, particularly the calves.

That was, he said, the initial plan for them at ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang on March 23 at the Saitama Super Arena in Japan, where he scored an impressive third-round TKO victory to become the interim featherweight kickboxing world champion.

Noiri shared this in a post-fight interview with My Navi News, highlighting how they aimed to make it tougher for Tawanchai as the fight progressed.

The 31-year-old Nagoya native said:

"Yeah, the overall strategy was to wear him down and hurt his calves all the way until the third, fourth, fifth round. The plan was to make him think that there was something wrong with his legs and go for the finish."

Watch the interview below:

At ONE 172, Tawanchai actually made early inroads with his kicks and punches. But Noiri stayed patient, looking for an opening to swing the tide in his favor.

He found it late in the third round after he landed a solid left to the chin following a ferocious exchange that sent Tawanchai crashing to the mat. The Thai superstar was able to beat the count, only to encounter more trouble with the hometown bet going for the finish with a flurry of strikes that he had no answer to, forcing the referee to wave off the match after.

The replay of ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang is available at watch.onefc.com.

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Masaaki Noiri happy to have silenced critics with emphatic win at ONE 172

Masaaki Noiri had many doubters and critics leading up to ONE 172, who he was happy to have silenced with his emphatic TKO victory over Tawanchai PK Saenchai.

He moved to highlight it in the same interview with My Navi News, sharing he just made sure to cancel all the outside noise and just focus on the job at hand.

Noiri said:

"Yes, when I had the offer, a lot of people and my fans thought it was too early for me to fight for the belt. All sorts of things like that. But I didn't care about the haters."

The TKO victory of Masaaki Noiri was one of the highlights for Japan at ONE 172, where seven more Japanese fighters emerged triumphant.