"Bite down on our gum shield and we go to war" - Liam Harrison wins via TKO in action-packed Muay Thai classic at ONE 156

Englishman Liam Harrison had an all-time classic against Thailand's Muangthai PK.Saenchai. In just the first round, the two fighters scored five knockdowns overall. An violent exchange of headkicks and punches made this contest one to remember.

It was such an exciting fight that ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong awarded Harrison two Performance of the Night bonuses, which equates to $100,000. He also earned himself a title shot against the reigning champion Nong-O Gaiyanghadao.

'The Elbow Zombie' has hundreds of Muay Thai wins and has earned stadium titles in his career. Meanwhile, Liam 'The Hitman' Harrison has held titles in Kombat League, WBC, and others. Both wanted to leave Singapore with their hand raised. It was Muangthai's first fight after two years in retirement.

In the post-fight interview, Liam Harrison said:

"What did I say? What you see is what you get. And what you get is knockdowns, knockouts, blood, sweat, guts, drama, and excitement. I come here on this stage, and I want to entertain and if that didn't entertain you then nothing will."

Harrison was knocked down twice in the first round before he rallied and got three of his own. In the post-fight interview, he described what he felt when he was knocked down:

"What the hell was that? Because I blinked and I was on the floor? And then I got up and was on the floor again. And thought right, what do we do in a situation like that? We bite down on your gum shield. Listen, I'm from a rough part of Leeds... We bite down on our gum shield and we go to war."

Harrison returned with a flurry of punches after suffering in the first round. He described his attitude:

"It woke me up, to be fair. I was still trying to work him out. And I thought, right, I've got nothing to lose here now, I've got to go for it. I'm like a lion, if you injure a lion, they're more dangerous and that's what I'm like. If I get hurt in a fight, you won't see me back off. I will stand and I will fight until he goes down or I go down."

Official call for the fight: Liam Harrison defeats Muangthai PK.Saenchai via TKO (Three Knockdowns) at 2:19 of Round 1.

---

Liam Harrison vs. Muangthai PK.Saenchai

The two Muay Thai strikers did not have too much of a feeling-out period. Headkicks, jabs, and power hooks opened the fight. Harrison caught a kick and scored a trip. Muangthai landed headkicks to drop Harrison hard. After the knockdown, the Thai fighter landed a hard punch and dropped his opponent for the second time.

He rushed in but Liam Harrison countered with a flurry and scored his own knockdown. After a pause for a 10 count, Harrison again threw powerful punches to put Muangthai down.

The two fighters had each scored two knockdowns. A fighter needs three in a round to win a fight. Harrison rushed in again as Muangthai was wobbly and threw punches in bunches to finish 'The Elbow Zombie'.