Masaaki Noiri says Tawanchai did a phenomenal job of defending his punishing leg attacks: “Calf kicks are like our signature”

Newly crowned ONE interim featherweight kickboxing world champion Masaaki Noiri of Japan had one thing on his mind heading into his highly anticipated showdown with Thai icon Tawanchai PK Saenchai a week ago. And that was to batter the featherweight Muay Thai king with his vaunted leg kicks.

Noiri says Japanese fighters are known for their leg attacks, as he took care of business against Tawanchai at ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang in Japan and delivered a stunning third-round technical knockout victory over the Muay Thai icon to capture the ONE interim featherweight kickboxing gold.

It was the biggest win of his professional career.

Speaking to My Navi News in a recent interview, Noiri talked about how he was able to deal Tawanchai heavy damage with his kicking game.

The Team Vasileus representative said:

"Calf kicks are like our signature. But, as you can see, Tawanchai did really well with that strikes too. I think they [referring to Thai fighters] are really fast in learning these techniques. I think they will continue bringing new techniques into their upcoming fights, which means I will also have to have new techniques when I fight against them."

ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang was broadcast live from the iconic Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan last Sunday, March 23.

Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action via replay on-demand on watch.onefc.com or check out highlights on the ONE Championship YouTube channel.

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Masaaki Noiri opens up about tactic used to counter Tawanchai's timing

Masaaki Noiri said the most difficult part about dealing with Tawanchai PK Saenchai was the Thai's impeccable timing. That's why he used distance management to mitigate that certain disadvantage in the ring.

He told My Navi News:

"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."

Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for all the latest news and updates surrounding Masaaki Noiri's next fight.