"I won't lose again" - Masaaki Noiri vows to bounce back stronger after stumbling in ONE debut vs. Sitthichai

Things didn't turn out how Masaaki Noiri thought it would be at ONE 167 inside the sold-out Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand, last weekend. The decorated Japanese striker was supposed to announce his entry to the home of martial arts by taking out the third-ranked Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong in their three-round featherweight kickboxing battle.

However, once the final bell rang, it was quite clear that Noiri was outclassed. 'Killer Kid' returned to the winning column with a well-deserved unanimous decision victory.

After licking his wounds, Noiri broke his silence and vowed to learn from this setback. Here's what the former K-1 multi-division world champion wrote in a lengthy Instagram post, translated into English:

"This stacked division caused me to stumble in my debut, but I won't lose again. For that, I will work harder alongside my VASILEUS team members to aim higher. Please continue to support me and the VASILEUS team moving forward."

Fight fans were thrilled to see Masaaki Noiri join arguably the promotion's most stacked striking division. After all, he had a reputation for putting on exciting brawls, using his ultra-aggressive style to punish his opponents.

The veteran Sitthichai, though, put him on the defensive early on. Noiri never got his rhythm going due to the Thai tactician's immense pressure and beautifully set-up combinations.

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Masaaki Noiri apologizes to his loyal fans

In the same heartfelt post, Masaaki Noiri also took the opportunity to address his supporters.

The 31-year-old warrior admits he feels bad letting them down and regrets being unable to deliver on the grand stage.

Noiri wrote:

"Reflecting on my fight against Sitthichai on June 8th. Thank you all for your tremendous support. I feel apologetic and frustrated that I could not meet your expectations."

The full replay of ONE 167 is free on demand for those with a Prime Video subscription in North America.