"This is hella sweet" - Fans gush over Masaaki Noiri's wholesome celebration with his family after title triumph at ONE 172

Masaaki Noiri proudly embraced his role as a family man while delivering the most significant victory of his professional career over the weekend.

The Japanese striking sensation captured the ONE interim featherweight kickboxing world championship in front of a home crowd at ONE 172, held at the iconic Saitama Super Arena last Sunday, March 23.

As the cheers of the audience engulfed him, Noiri made sure to share the triumphant moment with those who matter to him — his wife and two kids — inviting them to enter the ring and celebrate alongside him.

It was a well-deserved celebration afer his near-flawles performance against reigining ONE featherweight Muay Thai world champion Tawanchai PK Saenchai.

Noiri set the tone early, charging forward with relentless agression in the opening round. Yet, Tawanchai stood his ground, answering poweful combinations.

As the bout entered the second round, the Thai sensation intensified the pressure, but Noiri began to find his mark, landing his overhand right with increasing accuracy.

The turning point came in the third stanza when Noiri masterfully timed Tawanchai's offense, delivering a perfectly placed left hook that floored his opponent.

Although Tawanchai was able to beat the count, Noiri knew that the end was near. He fired away with a non-stop volley of shots, leaving the referee with no other choice but to step in and call a halt to the contest.

As he and his family made their way to the dugout, they took turns posing with the gold-plate belt, savoring the victory with every snapshot.

ONE Championship captured this heartfelt moment, sparking an outpour of emotion from fans:

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Masaaki Noiri expected to unify the divisional belts against Superbon

Masaaki Noiri will have a few weeks to relish every bit of his triumph at ONE 172, but soon after, he'll be back in training for an even bigger challenge.

With his win over Tawanchai PK Saenchai, Noiri has earned a golden ticket to a unification showdown with reigning king Superbon to determine the undisputed ONE featherweight kickboxing world champion.

While an official date has yet to be announced, Superbon has been already spotted in training, and Noiri emerged unscathed from last weekend's assignment.

All signs point to this highly anticipated clash taking place later this year.