Decorated Japanese kickboxer is prepared to showcase his warrior spirit on March 23 at .
In front of his home fans at the iconic Saitama Super Arena, he바카라ll square off with Thai megastar for the ONE Interim Featherweight Kickboxing World Title.
As a former two-division K-1 Champion and now a challenger for 26 pounds of ONE Championship gold, Noiri has been one of Japan바카라s top kickboxers over the past decade.
After spending the vast majority of his 63-fight professional career competing at home, the 31-year-old has now taken his immense talents to the global stage of ONE Championship 바카라 and he바카라s identified some key differences between Japanese fighters and foreigners.
Noiri told that a unique mentality 바카라 particularly how they react to defeat 바카라 separates his compatriots from the rest:
바카라One thing I바카라ve noticed since joining ONE is that foreign fighters seem to be very unfazed even after losing. With Japanese fighters 바카라 including myself 바카라 losing feels like the end of the world. It바카라s not that we intentionally create that atmosphere, but it just naturally happens.
바카라On the other hand, foreign fighters often come back with really high energy even after a loss, which is a big difference I바카라ve noticed. Because of that, I think Japanese fighters have a much stronger mentality of 바카라we absolutely cannot lose.바카라 It바카라s almost like the spirit of Bushido or such in Japanese fighters, in my opinion.바카라
The Bushido spirit 바카라 the moral code that ruled samurai behavior 바카라 is deeply ingrained in Noiri.
A lifelong martial artist, his education in these warrior virtues began when he was a boy just beginning karate. The no-retreat, no-surrender mentality that he바카라s displayed throughout his career is a testament to that education.
He explained:
바카라I started martial arts with karate, so I was taught the Bushido spirit from a young age. For example, in a fight, if you fall face-first, it means you lost consciousness, so that can바카라t be helped. But if you go down from a body shot, a stomach hit, or a low kick, that바카라s ultimately a matter of willpower 바카라 you바카라re still conscious.
바카라That바카라s why I바카라ve made up my mind that no matter what happens in the future, I will never go down from a body shot or a low kick. I think that kind of mindset is what connects to the spirit of Bushido.바카라
The Japanese fan favorite will undoubtedly lean heavily on his warrior spirit when he battles reigning ONE Featherweight Muay Thai World Champion Tawanchai at ONE 172. After all, his Thai opponent will enter the contest riding a years-long winning streak and is fresh off a career-defining knockout of .
While Noiri believes that Japanese fighters have the upper hand in terms of mindset and striking technique, he did admit that foreigners tend to bring a more physical and powerful element to the fight.
How that dynamic plays out against Tawanchai is yet to be seen:
바카라Both [Japanese fighters and foreign fighters] have their pros and cons, but if I had to point out something unique about foreign fighters, I바카라d say their physical strength stands out. They have a level of raw strength and overall physical power that Japanese fighters typically don바카라t have.
바카라I think Japanese fighters are superior in terms of the variety of techniques and the technical details of their skills.바카라
Noiri Views Kaito As Potential Rival In ONE Championship
Masaaki Noiri바카라s hotly anticipated clash against Tawanchai PK Saenchai is one of five massive World Title bouts at the blockbuster ONE 172, which features top Japanese superstars in all but two of the 14 fights.
Noiri admitted that while he바카라ll be rooting for his compatriots overall, he will be paying extra close attention to the featherweight kickboxing battle between highly touted Japanese debutant and Armenian legend 바카라 well aware that he could face his countryman at some point in the future:
바카라Of course, I want all the Japanese fighters to win. But at the same time, I think every fight will be compared to the others.
바카라Since it바카라s in the same division, Kaito바카라s fight against Grigorian will definitely be compared to mine in terms of performance and fight quality. We바카라re all part of the Japanese team, but at the end of the day, I still see everyone as a rival.바카라
The Team Vasileus product is no stranger to competing against other Japanese stars, so he바카라s certainly open to facing one of them in ONE Championship.
But for now, he바카라s primarily concerned with himself and his teammate , who will square off with Thai icon in the monumental main event super-fight on March 23.
Noiri added:
바카라For me, as long as Takeru and I both win, that바카라s enough. If the two of us, as Japanese fighters in ONE, can come out victorious together, that would be the best outcome.바카라
