ONE Championship: "He was seriously gunning to take out Tawanchai"

Striking legend Buakaw Banchamek acknowledged the exceptional determination that drove Masaaki Noiri to his stunning victory over Tawanchai PK Saenchai at ONE 172.

The Thai icon, no stranger to facing the most elite fighters throughout his storied career, noted the intense preparation and singular focus that fueled Noiri’s epic title-winning performance inside Japan’s Saitama Super Arena.

“The news said Noiri had been training like crazy. He was seriously gunning to take out Tawanchai. That’s what I read from the media,” Buakaw observed in a recent analysis video shared on his YouTube channel.

This assessment of Noiri’s mindset proved accurate as hell.

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The former two-division K-1 champion plotted his path to 26 pounds of gold with counterattacks and stinging leg kicks in the first two rounds.

In the third stanza, he upped the aggression and unleashed combinations with his fists en route to a career-defining TKO at 1:55 of the frame.

Masaaki Noiri became the first man to finish Tawanchai under the promotional banner. In addition to the ONE interim featherweight kickboxing world title, the Team Vasileus star walked out of the legendary venue with a US$50,000 performance bonus.

Watch the clip here:

Fight fans who missed any of the action can head to watch.onefc.com to catch the entire ONE 172 event replay.

Superbon is getting into fight shape for inevitable Masaaki Noiri showdown

Superbon, who praised Masaaki Noiri’s display at ONE 172, has not wasted any time getting his weapons ready for his impending world title unification war against the Japanese powerhouse.

“I’m not really sure [when this fight takes place] because I’m waiting for the offer from ONE Championship,” he told Bangkok Post’s Nick Atkin, adding: “But yeah, everyone said that it’s going to happen. So I’m preparing myself already because preparing is better than not. So I have started training.”

The ONE featherweight kickboxing world champion was last in action in a featherweight Muay Thai world title rematch against Tawanchai PK Saenchai at ONE 170 in January this year.