K-1 World Champion Masaaki Noiri joins ONE Championship: “I’ve been waiting for this moment”

ONE Championship has added another of the world’s top kickboxers to its ranks. 

Japanese superstar Masaaki Noiri announced that he joined the ONE roster this week, where he will compete in the talent-rich featherweight kickboxing division. 

Noiri is widely regarded as one of the best kickboxers on the planet. 

The 30-year-old is a former two-division K-1 World Champion and K-1 Grand Prix Champion and has held the WBC Muay Thai Japanese Title, meaning there is scope for him under both Muay Thai in kickboxing rule sets in ONE. 

“I’m truly happy. I’ve been waiting for this moment, finally! I’m also very excited. I can’t wait to step into the ring with only elite fighters and prove my abilities,” he said. 

“I believe ONE is the ultimate stage for striking, so I wanted to challenge myself in that ring. I’m pursuing to be the strongest in the world through martial arts, so I chose this path to test if the current Masaaki Noiri can make it in ONE.”

Masaaki Noiri joins compatriots in world’s largest martial arts organization

Masaaki Noiri now sits alongside two other top Japanese kickboxers in ONE Championship. 

Fellow superstar Takeru Segawa made his promotional debut earlier this year against Superlek Kiatmoo9. While former ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Champion Hiroki Akimoto returns to action against Chinese legend Wei Rui at ONE Fight Night 22 on May 3.  

Noiri, however, plans to crash the featherweight striking ranks currently dominated by Chingiz Allazov, Superbon Singha Mawynn, and Tawanchai PK Saenchai. 

Alongside his fellow countryman, he hopes to spearhead a Japanese takeover on the global stage. 

 “[My ultimate goal is] to definitely win the ONE world title. Not just me, but together with Takeru Segawa. And we’ll prove the strength of Japanese fighters to the world,” he said.