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Masaaki Noiri admitted he felt "relieved" after securing his first ONE Championship win.
Noiri's ONE tenure didn't start as planned. The former two-division K-1 champion entered the promotion with plenty of hype and intrigue before suffering consecutive unanimous decision losses against Sitthichai and Liu Mengyang.
At ONE 170, Noiri temporarily silenced the doubters with a second-round knockout win against Shakir Al-Tekreeti. During a post-fight interview with Nick Atkin, the featherweight kickboxer had this to say about his future with ONE:
"This is not the [end] goal. This is just the start of my career in ONE Championship. I am very happy and relieved and that’s why I’m a bit emotional after the win."
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Masaaki Noiri's knockout win was one of many exciting finishes at ONE 170. The January 24 event ended with three consecutive knockouts in title fights by Nabil Anane, Fabricio Andrade, and Tawanchai, who all received $50,000 bonuses.
The replay of ONE 170 can be seen for free by North American and Canadian viewers via watch.onefc.com.
Watch Noiri's entire interview with Atkin below:
Masaaki Noiri hopes to fight at ONE 172
On Sunday, March 23, ONE Championship will host a highly-anticipated event, ONE 172, inside the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. The upcoming spectacle is headlined by a must-see non-title kickboxing bout between Japanese legend Takeru Segawa and Thai superstar Rodtang.
Masaaki Noiri, who was born in Japan, told Nick Atkin during the previously mentioned interview about his interest in fighting at ONE 172:
"Of course, in ONE 172, the big event in Japan, I would love to be on that fight card. But when it comes to my opponent, I know that once I signed with ONE Championship, my goal is the ONE featherweight belt. But today, I just made one win. So, anyone would work. I just want to show a fight that would connect me to that belt."
There are several potential opponents for Masaaki Noiri, including former title challenger Marat Grigorian and the well-respected Tayfun Ozcan. With a win against a top contender, Noiri would be one step closer to a title shot against featherweight kickboxing legend Superbon.
