“I saw my chance” - Masaaki Noiri fulfills pre-fight promise to go for the kill against Tawanchai

Masaaki Noiri said he would finish Tawanchai, and he delivered last weekend. At ONE 172: Takeru vs Rodtang, the Japanese star stepped into one of the biggest fights of his career and ended the night as the new interim ONE featherweight kickboxing world champion.

The finish came in the third round, and while Noiri didn't expect the opportunity to present itself so early, he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

"I didn’t feel like I was actually gonna finish him in the third round," he said in the in-ring interview, "but as I said in the faceoffs, I was going to finish him within the course of five rounds. During that third round, I saw my chance and I took my shot."

Aside from his shiny new belt, Noiri also went home with $50,000 as a performance bonus from ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong.

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“I'm gonna show another KO” - New interim kickboxing king Masaaki Noiri’s message to Superbon ahead of inevitable unification bout

Now that the interim belt is his, a unification bout with reigning ONE featherweight kickboxing world champion Superbon is looming on the horizon.

Masaaki Noiri kept things simple when asked about it, it's pretty obvious that he's already thinking about what comes next.

"And for Superbon. I cannot say anything at this moment," the Japanese star said. "But if I have the opportunity, I will show the KO, and in any fight next time I'm gonna show another KO, knock out. Thank you."

With back-to-back knockouts this year and 26 pounds of gold upon his shoulder, Noiri is headed towards the next big fight of his career - and he's ready to bring his knockout power with him.

ONE 172: Takeru vs Rodtang is available for replay on watch.onefc.com.