Masaaki Noiri says he's determined to knock Tawanchai out by whatever means necessary: "I have to go for the finish"

Masaaki Noiri has only one thing on his radar when he hops back into action inside the ONE Circle - putting Tawanchai PK Saenchai to sleep. The Japanese kickboxing superstar returns for his fourth fight, and most important one yet, in the promotion against the ONE featherweight Muay Thai world champion at ONE 172 inside the Saitama Super Arena on Sunday, March 23.

They will battle to determine the fate of the ONE interim featherweight kickboxing crown and a unification matchup against divisional king Superbon.

Ahead of his first five-round scrap under the ONE banner, Masaaki Noiri broke down the only method he dreams of getting his hand raised in Saitama in an exclusive interview with the promotion:

"Fight strategy-wise, well, I'm fully committed to getting a KO. This is a fight where I have to go for the finish."

Noiri seeks to make it back-to-back highlight-reel finishes under the ONE spotlight after bagging a stunning second-round TKO of Shakir Al-Tekreeti at ONE 170 this past January.

His contest against Tawanchai is one of five world title clashes that will be part of ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang. Catch the entire card via pay-per-view at watch.onefc.com.

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Tawanchai says he won't have it easy against Masaaki Noiri in Saitama Super Arena

Tawanchai may be dreaming of two-sport glory inside the legendary Saitama Super Arena. But the ONE featherweight Muay Thai world champion refuses to look too far into the future with a proper test in Noiri standing in his way of success.

The PK Saenchai Muaythaigym superstar told the South China Morning Post ahead of fight night:

"Yes, I’m surprised [that I'm fighting him], but I do understand that he’s one of the top fighters in Japan. He’s very famous, so of course, I cannot underestimate him."

Watch his full interview on SCMP below: