ONE interim featherweight kickboxing world champion Masaaki Noiri is delighted that his old rival is now part of the world’s largest martial arts organization.
ONE Championship’s latest signee Rukiya Anpo will make his debut at ONE 173, where he’ll face Marat Grigorian in a featherweight kickboxing showdown.
Noiri just so happens to be headlining the same card, where he’ll look to unify the featherweight kickboxing belts against champion Superbon on Nov. 16 at Ariake Arena.
Given his history with ‘Demolition Man’, Noiri was quite invested in the arrival of his fellow Japanese striker.
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Speaking to ONE, the Team Vasileus ward shared his excitement for Anpo, who’ll bring another dimension to the stacked 155-pound kickboxing ranks. He told ONE Championship:
“The potential he has is truly top-level, so I’m simply looking forward to that fight.”
These two faced off in the 2021 K-1 Welterweight Grand Prix Final, where it appeared that Anpo had the upper hand early.
But the resilient Noiri weathered the storm and came away with a come-from-behind TKO win.
Meanwhile, Anpo already set his sights on a rematch with Noiri in the home of martial arts.
If both Japanese warriors emerge victorious in their respective bouts, then maybe their paths would collide again on the global stage.
Masaaki Noiri expresses desire to fight Rukiya Anpo’s opponent
While all signs point to Masaaki Noiri and Rukiya Anpo’s paths set to collide again, the interim featherweight kickboxing kingpin is actually intrigued by another possible opponent.
The Team Vasileus star told ONE his desire to face Marat Grigorian:
“Well, I don’t really know [how this fight will go]. Honestly, I just want to fight Grigorian. He’s been one of the fighters I’ve always wanted to face, so it doesn’t really matter to me who wins.”
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Edited by Aziel Karthak
