“That’s the case for every fight” - Masaaki Noiri determined to knock Tawanchai out in front of hometown fans at ONE 172

Masaaki Noiri is ready to send his hometown fans into a frenzy when he challenges for a piece of ONE Championship gold this Sunday.

The Japanese star will take on Tawanchai PK Saenchai for the ONE interim featherweight kickboxing world title in the co-main event of ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang at the historic Saitama Super Arena.

In an interview with ONE Championship, Noiri said he wants to reward his home fans with a knockout finish in the promotion's return to Japan.

Masaaki Noiri said:

"That's the case for every fight, but my style is always to aim for the knockout. Since this fight has five rounds, I can use all five rounds to go for the finish, or I can go for the KO right from the start."

Noiri used that hard-hitting style to great effect earlier in his career when he captured the K-1 Kickboxing super lightweight and welterweight titles in 2017 and 2021, respectively.

The global audience soon bore witness to that terrifying power when Noiri captured his 50th career win.

Now fighting under the ONE Championship banner, Noiri scored one of the nastiest victories in his storied career when he broke Shakir Al-Tekreeti's right leg at ONE 170 in January.

Noiri plans to carry that power when he faces the reigning ONE featherweight Muay Thai world champion Tawanchai in arguably the biggest fight of his career.

The 31-year-old has the opportunity to not just capture a piece of ONE Championship gold in one of the most hallowed grounds in martial arts, but also knock off one of the greatest Muay Thai fighters of the current era.

ONE 172 is available live on pay-per-view at watch.onefc.com.

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Tawanchai says Masaaki Noiri is no easy opponent for him

While some fans may discount Masaaki Noiri heading into ONE 172, his opponent Tawanchai has the complete opposite outlook.

Tawanchai told ONE Championship that he's ready to face the best Noiri will bring especially in front of the Japanese star's home fans at Saitama Super Arena.

"I feel excited. I have to fight in Japan. I have to fight in his country. He is a K-1 Champion. He has more experience than me. If anyone wants to look down on him, or my fans say that he is an easy match for me or something, I tell you, he's anything but easy."