ONE Championship: “I was happy for him” - Liam Harrison proud former foe Masaaki Noiri achieved world champion status in ONE

“I was happy for him” - Liam Harrison proud former foe Masaaki Noiri achieved world champion status in ONE

Modified Apr 12, 2025 10:19 GMT

Liam Harrison and Masaaki Noiri - Photo by ONE Championship

English Muay Thai legend and former ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world title challenger 'Hitman' Liam Harrison was thrilled to see his former adversary, ONE interim featherweight kickboxing world champion Masaaki Noiri of Japan, capture gold in the world's largest martial arts organization.

Noiri shocked the world at ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang late last month, knocking out highly regarded featherweight Muay Thai titleholder Tawanchai PK Saenchai to capture the interim featherweight kickboxing strap in front of his Japanese fans back home.

Speaking to South China Morning Post in a recent interview, Harrison said he was glad to see Noiri achieve success on ONE's global platform.

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'Hitman' said:

"I really like Noiri. Me and him fought years ago in Japan and I’ve always been close and friendly with him. So I was happy for him that he won that fight."

ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang took place live at the iconic Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan on Sunday, March 23rd. Fans in the United States and Canada can catch a replay of the action on-demand via watch.onefc.com.

Liam Harrison returns from brief retirement to face Burmese icon Soe Lin Oo at ONE 173: Denver

'Hitman' Liam Harrison of the United Kingdom is ready to lace up his gloves once again as he 'unretires' to face legendary Burmese fighter Soe Lin Oo in a bantamweight Muay Thai contest.

The two lock horns at the upcoming ONE 173: Denver, which goes down live at the Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado on Friday, August 1.

Fans can flock to Ball Arena to catch all the amazing fights live, as ticket sales are already underway.

Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for all the latest news and updates surrounding Liam Harrison'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 C. Naik