British Muay Thai fighter Liam Harrison has not competed in nearly two years since injuring his knee but touts that he has not skipped a beat as the time away has allowed him to work on his game.
He is looking forward to showcasing it when he makes his long-awaited return to action at ONE 167: Stamp vs. Zamboanga on June 7 in Bangkok, Thailand. 'Hitman' will be going up against Katsuki Kitano of Japan in a featured bantamweight Muay Thai duel.
It will be his first fight since August 2022, when he injured his knee in the opening round of his title clash with former bantamweight champion Nong-O Hama, that required a lengthy recuperation.
In an interview with Sportskeeda MMA, Liam Harrison, 38, spoke about where his current form is as he shapes up for his scheduled return, saying:
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"Everything's coming back. My timing's coming back. My power's back, too. It never left, to be honest. I feel like I'm hitting harder than I was before because I've been working so much on different stuff while I was injured."
Watch the interview below:
At ONE 167, out to frustrate Liam Harrison is Kitano, who had a winning debut in ONE Championship back in October over Dutch fighter Halil Kutukcu.
ONE 167: Stamp vs. Zamboanga will emanate from the Impact Arena in Bangkok. It is available live and for free in U.S. primetime on June 7 to North American fans via Amazon Prime Video.
Liam Harrison views comeback fight at ONE 167 with much significance
After being away for quite some time because of injury, veteran striker Liam Harrison is excited for his comeback on June 7 at ONE 167: Stamp vs. Zamboanga in Bangkok, Thailand, and views it with a lot of significance.
He, in particular, is eager to prove that he is still capable of competing at a high level against the best fighters in ONE Championship, including his scheduled opponent Katsuki Kitano of Japan.
The 38-year-old Leeds, England native touched on this in the same interview with Sportskeeda MMA, saying:
"It should be good. It should be a really exciting fight. He's got a lot to prove. I've got a lot of questions that need to be answered to everyone who's going to want to see what form I'm going to come back in. So yeah, I have tunnel vision, that's all it at the minute."
ONE 167 is headlined by the ONE atomweight MMA world title fight between reigning champion Stamp Fairtex and Filipino challenger Denice Zamboanga.
Also on offer in the event is the title clash between ONE featherweight Muay Thai king Tawanchai PK Saenchai and veteran Thai fighter Jo Nattawut.