“I would love to be on that fight card” - Masaaki Noiri eyes spot on ONE 172 in Japan following KO of Shakir Al-Tekreeti

Veteran kickboxer Masaaki Noiri is keen on building on his breakthrough win in ONE Championship and wants to return to action as soon as possible. He is eyeing to be part of the promotion's scheduled event in March in his home country of Japan.

The former two-division K-1 champion scored a devastating second-round knockout victory over Iraqi fighter Shakir Al-Tekreeti in their featherweight kickboxing clash at ONE 170 on Jan. 24 at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand. He broke his opponent's right leg early in the second frame after pummeling it no end in the opening round.

The win was the first for the Japanese star after three matches since making his promotional debut last year.

In an interview with ONE commentator Mitch Chilson following his victory inside the Circle, Masaaki Noiri shared his thoughts on the direction he wants to take after finally breaking through with a win in ONE, including his interest to be part of ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang on March 23 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama.

He said:

"Of course, in ONE 172, the big event in Japan, I would love to be on that fight card. But when it comes to my opponent, I know that once I signed with ONE Championship, my goal is the ONE featherweight belt. But today, I just made one win. So, anyone would work. I just want to show a fight that would connect me to that belt."

If ever he gets the nod for ONE 172, it will mark the return of Noiri in Japan where he made a name for himself in various promotions, including K-1 and Glory. ONE 172 is headlined by the marquee flyweight kickboxing showdown between Takeru Segawa and Rodtang Jitmuangnon.

Meanwhile, the full replay of ONE 170 is available on watch.ONEFC.com.

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Masaaki Noiri finally delivers on promise to have electrifying performances in ONE

The electrifying performance of Masaaki Noiri at ONE 170 saw the veteran fighter from Nagoya, Japan, finally delivering on his promise of giving A-1 showing when he joined ONE Championship last year.

Fell by the wayside in each of his first two matches in the promotion, Noiri was in his element in his showdown against Shakir Al-Tekreeti last week, which saw him chalk up a devastating KO victory that left his opponent out injured with a broken leg.

The win was in line with his "guarantee" to be a fighter of note in ONE, which he made known when he joined the organization, telling ONE in an interview:

"Hello ONE Championship fans! I'm Masaaki Nori from Japan. Come watch my fights and I assure you won't regret it. I'll keep putting on satisfying performances, so please pay attention to me from now on! Your passionate support would be greatly appreciated!"

Masaaki Noiri is among the top fighters who took their talents to ONE from K-1 in the previous two years. The others being Takeru Segawa and Kana Morimoto.