An up-and-coming 23-year-old fighter is set to square off against a 33-year-old former titleholder, with the statistics of both athletes telling vastly different stories.
During their initial encounter in December 2024, Liu secured a unanimous decision victory in what was his promotional debut, handing Noiri the very first back-to-back losing streak of his career. Liu Mengyang will face him again in a quarterfinal match of the ONE SAMURAI Featherweight Kickboxing Tournament at ONE SAMURAI 2, broadcasting live from Tokyo’s EBARA WAVE Arena Ota on Saturday, August 8. Liu carries a 36-7 career record with 11 finishes and a three-bout winning streak in ONE Championship into this sequel.
Noiri enters Saturday’s rematch with a 51-14 record and a previous interim championship to his name, bolstered by the support of his hometown crowd in Tokyo.
“I do not perceive any genuine danger from him in this rematch, and I expect to compete with complete comfort and dominance inside the cage,” he stated.
“My ultimate advantages are my indestructible resolve and unyielding battle spirit, combined with the highly tailored game plans my coach creates for each specific rival. This will guide me to triumph in this kickboxing tournament.”
Masaaki Noiri’s Record Tested by the Youth and Momentum of Liu Mengyang
Following his victory over Noiri, Liu has maintained his upward trajectory, adding impressive wins to his record, whereas Noiri has spent the months following his November title defeat to Superbon searching for a way back to the championship.
The victor of Saturday’s quarterfinal will move closer to a guaranteed shot at current ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Champion Superbon, a milestone both athletes have declared is their primary objective, regardless of their immediate head-to-head result.
“Having shared the cage with Masaaki Noiri, I find his approach to fighting to be incredibly single-minded. He excels at exploiting defensive gaps and possesses great timing, but his general strategy remains very limited in my view,” he remarked.
“Masaaki Noiri: If you get knocked out once more in this fight, do not make excuses about dropping your guard. It is simply because your prime has passed, and it is time for you to step away from the sport.”
This piece originally debuted on BJPENN.COM
