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Masaaki Noiri couldn't have delivered the upset of the year with a strong team behind him.
The former two-division K-1 titleholder shocked the world at ONE 172 in his native Japan, scoring a sensational third-round TKO over Tawanchai to claim the ONE interim featherweight kickboxing world championship.
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Noiri has been on cloud nine ever since the 26 pounds of gold was strapped around his waist.
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Looking back on the stunning victory during a recent interview with My Navi News, Noiri gave a shoutout to his gym, Team Vasileus, whom he credited with getting him into the best shape of his life for his match against the ONE featherweight Muay Thai world champion.
"A shoutout has to go to my team," Noiri said. "Though there are a lot of us who aren't on the same level, there were differences and other stuff, they helped bring me into the best condition I've been in for this fight. So I have nothing but gratitude to all of them."
Masaaki Noiri and Yuya Wakamatsu did their home country proud at ONE 172
Masaaki Noiri wasn't the only native of the Land of the Rising Sun to capture his first ONE world championship at ONE 172.
Earlier in the evening, Japanese star Yuya Wakamatsu landed a first-round TKO over former eight-time world titleholder Adriano Moraes to claim the vacant ONE flyweight MMA world title.
Though he didn't get a chance to speak with Noiri immediately following their wins, Wakamatsu recognized that the energy inside the Saitama Super Arena was palpable.
"There was a press conference right away after the match," Wakamatsu said in his own interview with My Navi News. "So even though we didn't talk much, I could feel that energy even without exchanging words with him."
With two of Japan's biggest combat sports stars now sporting ONE world titles, what's next for Masaaki Noiri and Yuya Wakamatsu?
If you missed any of the action, you can watch the full ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang replay on demand via watch.onefc.com.
