Sitthichai bares excitement on Masaaki Noiri's arrival in ONE Championship: "I knew his skill level would be high"

Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong is excited to get his next assignment for his return at ONE 167 despite not being too familiar with his opponent.

The Sitsongpeenong Muay Thai Camp fighter has competed against many of the top names in the stacked ONE featherweight kickboxing division. However, his next contest comes against a new arrival who is yet to step inside the Circle and make an impact on the division.

On June 7, Masaaki Noiri will look to open his ONE account up with a big win over the Thai veteran who is one of the most established contenders in these ranks. With his opponent coming to try and spoil the debut party by getting the win, he is looking forward to facing a new name and putting the Japanese star to the test.

In an interview with ONE Championship ahead of fight night, Sitthichai revealed that he wasn't previously aware of Noiri until his name arrived on a contract which only made him more excited for this fight:

"When I heard the news that Masaaki Noiri had signed with ONE, I learned that he was a Japanese superstar like Takeru. It made me feel excited. Even though I didn't know him very well, I knew his skill level would be high."

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Sitthichai isn't overlooking Masaaki Noiri on June 7

As he said in a recent interview, just because he wasn't overly familiar with Masaaki Noiri or his style and career, doesn't mean Sitthichai is overlooking him. The veteran is used to competing against the best of the best and he will be expecting that same calibre from the newest addition to the division.

He is currently coming off of back-to-back defeats that only show just how much of a shark tank this division has been in recent years. Defeating Noiri will be a huge statement about where they both belong amongst the other elite contenders.

ONE 167 will air live from the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand, on June 7.