"Neither of them threw a kick" - Liam Harrison believes the aggressive 'Muay Mat' style is perfect in four-ounce gloves

UK living legend Liam Harrison has been fascinated by the evolution of fighting styles in Muay Thai since ONE Championship implemented the four-ounce gloves under their global ruleset.

'Muay Mat' is becoming a popular fighting style in ONE Championship due to the use of smaller boxing gloves. Without the extra padding that an eight or ten-ounce glove provides, there's a higher chance of scoring high-light reel knockouts.

According to Liam Harrison, the athletes who adapt to a more 'Muay Mat' style—that is, a boxing-oriented style of fighting—will succeed in this sport most.

Speaking on The FullerWatt Podcast this week, Harrison explained:

"Let's look at two of the most vicious and top-level fighters on ONE at the minute - number one, Haggerty, and number two, Nico. Neither of them threw a kick in their last two fights. It was all boxing. That's what it is."

Harrison continued:

"So, that's why a lot of the fights do come down to who is going to have the hardest punch, who is going to be able to let our hands go, who's going to land first, you know what I mean?"

Watch the full interview below:

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"You have to predominantly go with your hands" - Liam Harrison on adapting his fighting style to include more boxing

As aforementioned, Liam Harrison has also had to adapt to a more 'Muay Mat' style to keep up with his competition.

The 37-year-old veteran is on the verge of fighting again this September to challenge Muay Thai legend Seksan at ONE 168: Denver. It would be Harrison's first bout after two years of post-surgery recovery. It was a difficult journey getting back to health, but having that time off came with its advantages.

After watching Jonathan Haggerty and Nico Carrillo, Harrison observed that he needed to incorporate more boxing into his fighting style. In other words, he should approach each fight as if he were in a boxing ring.

In the same interview, the 'Hitman' said:

"If you haven't got good hands, and if you don't know how to punch properly, you don't start putting in a bit of head movement and stuff like that, then you're gonna struggle, you know what i mean? So you have to predominantly go with your hands."

Tickets for ONE 168: Denver are available via Ticketmaster.