Tawanchai Vs. Masaaki Noiri: 4 Keys To Victory In Interim Kickboxing World Title Fight At ONE 172
At ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang on March 23, current ONE Featherweight Muay Thai World Champion Tawanchai PK Saenchai and decorated Japanese striker Masaaki Noiri will throw down for the ONE Interim Featherweight Kickboxing World Title in a matchup that fans around the globe are anxiously awaiting.
Set to take place at the iconic Saitama Super Arena in Japan, this bout pits two of kickboxing’s most dynamic and talented pound-for-pound athletes against each other.
In one corner, Tawanchai comes into the clash on a nine-fight winning streak that has seen him cement himself as a global superstar and one of the organization’s most dominant World Champions.
The Japanese phenom, meanwhile, is a former two-division K-1 Champion who is motivated to live up to the massive hype surrounding him and win 26 pounds of gold on his home turf.
Before they go toe-to-toe at ONE 172, we take a closer look at each striker’s keys to victory.
#1 Noiri’s Constant Forward Pressure
Whether he’s throwing punches, kicks, or knees, Noiri strikes with blazing speed and shocking precision, but in order to get himself into striking range, he loves to apply steady and relentless forward pressure. He should use that same approach against Tawanchai.
With his tight guard, solid defensive fundamentals, and damaging leg kicks, Noiri patiently backs his foe into the ropes where he then unleashes a fury of offense that few men are able to withstand.
This pressure-oriented game plan should work well against a hard-hitting sniper like Tawanchai, who will happily use any space and time he’s given to set up a knockout shot.
#2 Tawanchai’s Push Kicks
While Noiri will undoubtedly look to apply forward pressure, the Thai can negate that pressure with his trademark push kicks.
Tawanchai throws his push kicks at a unique angle similar to a side kick, making them particularly potent and practically impossible to catch and counter.
Against Noiri, these push kicks should be the centerpiece of Tawanchai’s approach. Not only will they damage his opponent’s body and help to maintain distance but they will also force Noiri to over-extend on his attacks and create openings for the knockout.
#3 Noiri’s Long Combinations
The Team Vasileus representative can’t afford to trade strike-for-strike with Tawanchai. That would give the Thai too much time to work. Instead, Noiri should aim to string together lengthy combinations in an attempt to overwhelm his foe with offense.
The Japanese fighter is an incredibly well-rounded striker, and those all-around skills are on full display when he’s mixing up his combinations, blending body shots in with head kicks and knee strikes in with vicious punches.
In order to force Tawanchai on the back foot and pick apart his seemingly impregnable defense, Noiri must let his long combinations fly.
#4 Tawanchai’s Venomous Counter-Striking
It’s no small secret that Tawanchai is one of the planet’s most dangerous knockout artists, and he tends to set up his finishes with counter-strikes.
A true master of timing and distance, the 25-year-old often spends the first few minutes of every fight gathering information and looking for weaknesses before opening up with bigger and and more explosive counters as the bout progresses.
Fans should expect Tawanchai to lean heavily on his counter-striking at ONE 172. While Noiri is an undeniable offensive dynamo, Tawanchai will take advantage of any and all openings he sees as he hunts for another highlight-reel finish in ONE.
