A 23-year-old with a growing resume is squaring off against a 33-year-old former champion, and the numbers behind both men tell two very different stories.
Their first meeting in December 2024 went to Liu by unanimous decision in his promotional debut, handing Noiri the first consecutive-loss stretch of his career. Liu Mengyang rematches him in a quarterfinal of the ONE SAMURAI Featherweight Kickboxing Tournament at ONE SAMURAI 2, streaming live from Tokyo’s EBARA WAVE Arena Ota on Saturday, August 8, carrying a 36-7 career record with 11 finishes and a three-fight ONE Championship winning streak into the sequel.
Noiri brings a 51-14 record and a former interim title into Saturday’s rematch, along with the backing of a home Tokyo crowd.
“I don’t see any real threats from him in the rematch at all, and I will fight with total ease and control inside the cage,” he said.
“My greatest strengths are my unbreakable willpower and relentless fighting spirit, paired with the hyper-specific game plans my coach designs for every opponent. That will carry me to victory in this kickboxing tournament.”
Masaaki Noiri record faces youth and momentum against Liu Mengyang
Since beating Noiri, Liu has continued climbing, adding statement wins to his ledger while Noiri has spent the months since his own November title loss to Superbon searching for a path back to gold.
The winner of Saturday’s quarterfinal advances toward a guaranteed shot at reigning ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Champion Superbon, a prize both men have stated is their ultimate target regardless of what happens between them first.
“After sharing the cage with Masaaki Noiri, I can say his fighting style is extremely one-dimensional. He’s good at seizing openings and timing his strikes well, but his overall game plan is still very one-dimensional in my opinion,” he said.
“Masaaki Noiri: If you get KO’d again this time, don’t claim you just let your guard down. It’s simply because you’re past your prime, and it’s time for you to retire.”
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