Masaaki Noiri eyes a quick finish over Sitthichai at ONE 167: "That's a clear way to make a statement"

Masaaki Noiri wants to knock out Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong quicker than Marat Grigorian.

Noiri, a former two-division K-1 world champion, is scheduled to make his highly-anticipated promotional debut ONE 167 on Friday.

Standing across from the Japanese superstar is number three-ranked featherweight kickboxer Sitthichai, who is coming off a third-round knockout loss against Grigorian.

Later this week, Noiri plans to make a statement and jump to the top of the ONE featherweight kickboxing division. To do so, the 31-year-old believes he needs to take out Sitthichai faster than Grigorian. Explaining the same during an interview with ONE, he said:

"My thinking is that since Grigorian knocked out Sitthichai in the third round if I can get the KO quicker than that, many people will recognize my strength. That's a clear way to make a statement."

ONE 167 goes down inside the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand. The June 7 event featuring Sitthichai vs. Masaaki Noiri can be seen live in U.S. primetime for free by North American and Canadian viewers with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.

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What's at stake between Masaaki Noiri and Sitthichai at ONE 167?

Heading into ONE 167, Sitthichai is looking for a bounce-back win after getting knocked out by Marat Grigorian last time out. The eight-time kickboxing and Muay Thai world champion remains the division's number three-ranked fighter, giving him a chance to secure a title shot with an impressive performance later this week.

Meanwhile, Masaaki Noiri has more to prove at Friday's event. Noiri has proven to be a world-class striker in other organizations. That said, he must showcase his skills on ONE Championship's global platform by taking out the always dangerous Sitthichai.

With a win at ONE 167, Noiri would quickly put himself in the featherweight kickboxing title picture. Considering ONE's expansion into Japan, the 31-year-old would have an opportunity to become one of the promotion's biggest superstars.

It should be noted that ONE plans to hold a ONE Featherweight World Grand Prix Championship starting later this year. Regardless of the ONE 167 result, Sitthichai and Noiri are expected to be featured in the highly-anticipated tournament.