Masaaki Noiri says distance management was key to sleeping Tawanchai: "He throws with good timing"

The secret to the success of Masaaki Noiri's stunning win against Tawanchai PK Saenchai at ONE 172 last March 23 was his smart use of distance.

Noiri spoke to My Navi News and explained how he was able to land an atomic left-hand punch that floored Tawanchai, which also eventually helped him secure the victory inside the iconic halls of the Saitama Super Arena in Japan. He said:

"The most important thing in the fight was the distance control, the distance between me and Tawanchai. My reach and Tawanchai's are different, so I think that was the part I was more wary of. He has a really strong front kick, and he throws with good timing. So I was careful of that and, of course, his punches."

Watch Masaaki Noiri's full interview here:

The newly crowned ONE interim featherweight kickboxing world champion was the first fighter to ever knock the Thai superstar down in his ONE Championship career since his arrival in May 2021.

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Masaaki Noiri confessed about the pain he felt when he was hit by Tawanchai's kicks at ONE 172

The Team Vasileus representative's win over Tawanchai was not all rainbows and sunshine because he was also able to feel the power and sting of the strikes from the current ONE featherweight Muay Thai world champion.

During the aforementioned interview, Noiri revealed that he felt that he was in danger when Tawanchai was in attack mode. He stated:

"When I got hit from Tawanchai's kicks, I thought, 'Wow, this is dangerous.' And that was something that happened during the match. I knew from the very second that my opponent's attacks were dangerous."

Fans can rewatch all the action at ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang card via watch.onefc.com.