"Let's see who will my opponent be" - Masaaki Noiri eager to build on his momentum at ONE 172 in Japan

Japanese kickboxing star Masaaki Noiri is hopeful that he will be part of ONE Championship's return to Japan with the stacked ONE 172 card, which will take place inside the Saitama Super Arena on March 23.

The 31-year-old former two-division K-1 world champion is hoping to build on his impressive second-round demolition of Shakir Al-Takreeti last Jan. 24 at ONE 170.

Following his triumph over the Iraqi in front of the sold-out Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand, he was interviewed by seasoned journalist Nick Atkin, where he proclaimed his desire to compete again on quick turnaround.

The striking specialist stated:

"I haven't talked to anyone yet, of course, I haven't gotten any offer yet. I was pretty much focused on this fight so I wasn't really thinking about the Japan event. So, let's see who will my opponent be."

Watch Masaaki Noiri's full interview here:

This latest triumph was also Noiri's breakthrough win under the world's largest martial arts organization. In his first two fights, he suffered tough losses to Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong and Liu Mengyang.

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Masaaki Noiri aims to do better in his succeeding matches under the ONE Championship banner

During the same interview with Nick Atkin, Noiri doubled down on his promise to improve his performance moving forward after his first win in the ONE Championship.

The former two-division K-1 champion also mentioned that his two previous setbacks may have disappointed his fans but vowed to continue his momentum and win streak in his next fights, as he said:

"With my two losses in a row, I'm sure fans are disappointed. I'm sure I made fans very sad with the results, but, you know, I was able to win today. So from now on, I will be showing who Japan's Masaaki Noiri is. So please expect that."

Fans can rewatch all the action from the exciting ONE 170 card via watch.onefc.com.