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Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong utilized the doubt from fans to motivate him in his impressive performance against Masaaki Noiri.
Heading into last Friday's ONE 167, Sitthichai was coming off a third-round knockout loss against Marat Grigorian in January.
'Killer Kid' quickly dove back into the shark-infested ONE featherweight kickboxing division against Noiri, a former two-division K-1 world champion making his promotional debut.
At 32 years old, Sitthichai showcased a vintage performance and outclassed Noiri for a unanimous decision win.
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During a post-fight interview with the South China Morning Post, the Thai superstar had this to say about silencing the doubters:
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"Of course, I did notice people were doubting me about my performances. But I feel like I collected all those doubts and used it as a motivation for this fight to prove them wrong."
ONE 167 was an action-packed event that featured Tawanchai PK Saenchai vs Jo Nattawut II, Rodtang Jitmuangnon vs Denis Puric, Sitthichai vs Noiri, and more.
The replay of the June 7 spectacle can be seen for free by North American and Canadian viewers with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.
Watch Sitthichai's interview with the South China Morning Post below:
What's next for Sitthichai in ONE Championship?
Sitthichai is currently the No.3-ranked fighter in the ONE featherweight kickboxing division.
Furthermore, the 32-year-old has re-injected himself in the world title picture with his impressive performance against Masaaki Noiri.
Later this year, ONE Championship will launch the highly-anticipated ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Grand Prix Championship.
The only fighters confirmed by ONE Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong are the division's kingpin, Chingiz Allazov, and the interim world title holder, Superbon.
Although it's unconfirmed by ONE, Sitthichai seems like a clear-cut contender in the upcoming tournament.
The multi-time kickboxing and Muay Thai world champion shouldn't be overlooked in the stacked Grand Prix, as his latest win at ONE 167 showed he has plenty of gas left in the tank.
