“I know what he’s going to do” - Tawanchai confident he has Masaaki Noiri all figured out heading into interim title clash at ONE 172

Tawanchai PK Saenchai believes he has Masaaki Noiri all figured out ahead of their interim world title clash in ONE Championship's return to Japan.

Noiri and Tawanchai will square off for the ONE interim featherweight kickboxing world title in the co-main event of the stacked ONE 172 card at the hallowed Saitama Super Arena on Sunday.

In an interview with ONE Championship, the ONE featherweight Muay Thai world champion said he knows what Noiri would bring to the table once the cage doors close.

Tawanchai said:

"Noiri's weaknesses? You should wait and see. I'll show you. I'm confident that I know what he's going to do."

While most fans know Tawanchai for his highlight-reel knockouts, the Thai superstar is one of the most cerebral fighters of his generation and would use his superior fight IQ to put the opposition at his mercy.

That ring generalship was in full display when Tawanchai defended his featherweight Muay Thai throne against ONE featherweight kickboxing world champion Superbon at ONE 170 in January.

After he gauged the rhythm in the first round, Tawanchai went into kill mode in the second and dropped Superbon three times to retain the ONE featherweight Muay Thai throne in front of a mental hometown crowd in Bangkok.

Tawanchai's utter domination of Superbon marked his ninth straight win, 10th overall in ONE Championship, and he now looks to improve on that win streak at the expense of Noiri.

Fans can catch the entire ONE 172 card live on pay-per-view at watch.onefc.com.

---

Tawanchai talks about the magnitude of achieving two-sport success in the loaded featherweight class

Featherweight is possibly the most difficult division in ONE Championship.

The division houses three world champions widely considered the best in their disciplines and contenders equally fit to hold the throne.

In the same interview with the promotion, Tawanchai said taking two featherweight world titles in ONE Championship would cement his place as possibly the greatest fighter on the planet.

"How important is this fight? Very important. Because it will help me reach my dream of becoming a two-sport world champion in the featherweight division, which is packed with elite fighters. It’s the most popular division and the hardest division.”