Japanese star Masaaki Noiri thrilled to fight "one of the best athletes in the world" Sitthichai in his ONE debut

Debuts simply don't get much bigger than the blockbuster one that awaits Masaaki Noiri on his first appearance under the ONE Championship banner.

Given everything that he had already accomplished in Japan, there was never going to be any need for him to slowly work his way up the ranks and prove himself.

At ONE 167, Noiri makes his ONE debut in a huge clash with Thai legend Sitthichai which has got striking fans counting down the hours.

With big stakes for the ONE featherweight kickboxing division, Noiri looks to kick the doors open by taking out one of the top names in the division.

The elite caliber of his upcoming opponent is something that greatly motivates the new addition to the division.

During the press conference for ONE 167, he spoke about how highly he rates Sitthichai ahead of their meeting inside the Circle:

"First of all, I think Sitthichai is a good athlete. He's a legitimate athlete. With all his techniques, he is superb. Because he is one of the best, that's why I came here to find a fight and fight one of the best athletes in the world in ONE."

Watch the full press conference below:

Masaaki Noiri isn't here to make up the numbers

The willingness of Masaaki Noiri to go straight in against one of the top names in the division shows his desire to prove himself as one of the best in the world.

The Japanese star isn't simply here to make up the numbers and earn a few paycheques before riding off into the sunset.

He dreams of joining his former teammate Takeru Segawa at the top of the card with both men going on to become world champions in the promotion.

Noiri can take a huge step towards that goal by defeating Sitthichai at the Impact Arena.

ONE 167 will air live in US prime time on June 7 and is free to watch for North American viewers with an active Prime Video subscription.