Masaaki Noiri expects an absolute battle of wits against featherweight Muay Thai king Tawanchai in interim kickboxing title tilt

Masaaki Noiri knows he's in for a tough test against one of the best fighters in all of Muay Thai. On Sunday, March 23, Noiri will go toe-to-toe with ONE featherweight Muay Thai world champion Tawanchai as the two battle it out to become the new ONE interim featherweight kickboxing king.

It all goes down inside the iconic Saitama Super Arena in Japan when ONE Championship delivers ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang—one of the biggest fight cards in promotional history.

As a two-division K-1 champion, Noiri will undoubtedly have an experience advantage over Tawanchai when it comes to competing in eight-ounce gloves. However, Noiri knows that not only is Tawanchai incredibly strong, but he's capable of adapting to any combat sport.

"Tawanchai is seen as the absolute champion in Muay Thai, but I think he can adapt well to kickboxing rules and, of course, he's very strong," Noiri told ONE Championship in a recent interview.

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Masaaki Noiri won't be the only Japanese fighter looking to bring home gold at ONE 172

Coming off a big second-round knockout of Shakir Al-Tekreeti in June, Masaaki Noiri will look to carry that momentum into ONE 172 and bring 26 pounds of gold home to his native Japan.

Also hoping to make their country proud will be Kana Morimoto and Yuya Wakamatsu, who will also compete for a ONE world title.

Kana will challenge reigning ONE atomweight kickboxing world champion Phetjeeja while Wakamatsu will meet Adriano Moraes in a long-awaited rematch, the winner leaving as the new ONE flyweight MMA world titleholder.

And then, of course, you can't forget about the main event featuring former three-division K-1 king Takeru Segawa who meets 'The Iron Man' Rodtang in one of the most anticipated super fights in ONE Championship history.

Which Japanese fighters will you be rooting for when ONE heads back to The Land of the Rising Sun?

ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang will emanate from the Saitama Super Arena in Japan on Sunday, March 23. Head over to watch.onefc.com to learn more about how you can watch the event live.