British striker Liam Harrison looks to take cue from fellow veteran Muay Thai fighter Nong-O Hama when he makes his long-awaited return to action later this year.
'Hitman' will end his nearly two-year hiatus because of injury when he plunges back into competition on June 7 at ONE 167: Stamp vs. Zamboanga in Bangkok, Thailand. He will take on Katsuki Kitano in a featured bantamweight Muay Thai joust.
It will be his first match since injuring his knee in August 2022 during his title clash with then-bantamweight Muay Thai king Nong-O.
For his scheduled return to action, Liam Harrison said he will draw inspiration from Nong-O's recent unanimous decision victory over fellow Thai fighter Kulabdam Sor Jor Piek Uthai that halted a two-fight skid for him.
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The 38-year-old Leeds, England, native told Sportskeeda MMA in an interview:
"Nong-O just did it then, so I don't see any reason why I can't do it either. Just come back, get my old self back and put on a show."
Watch the full interview below:
Prior to losing on technicality against Nong-O after he was unable to continue after injuring his knee, Harrison won back-to-back matches, both by knockout in the opening round.
He now hopes to swing back to the win column at ONE 167 against Kitano, who is out to get back-to-back victories after winning by unanimous decision in his promotional debut last October.
ONE 167: Stamp vs. Zamboanga will emanate from the Impact Arena in Bangkok and will be available live and for free in U.S. primetime on June 7 to North American fans via Amazon Prime Video.
Liam Harrison looks to showcase resharpened tools at ONE 167
Liam Harrison took the opportunity to resharpen his tools when he was out for some time because of injury and he looks to showcase them when he makes his return to action on June 7 at ONE 167: Stamp vs. Zamboanga in Thailand.
ONE 167 marks the first fight back by 'Hitman' since injuring his knee in August 2022 in his title clash with former ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world champion Nong-O Hama.
Liam Harrison said that while he was recovering from his injury, he made time to work on certain aspects of his game so that when he returns to action he can put up a competitive showing.
He told Sportskeeda MMA in an interview:
"I was working on my explosivity, my strength, my power, and stuff with my S&C coaches. So yeah, I'm looking forward to getting in there and putting all that back to test in a proper fight."
The Harrison-Kitano clash is part of a stacked card being assembled for ONE 167, which is headlined by the ONE atomweight MMA world title fight between reigning champion Stamp Fairtex and Filipino challenger Denice Zamboanga.
