‘No Need For It’ – Liam Harrison Dismisses ‘Empty Threats’ From Nong-O Before World Title Fight
Nothing will faze Liam Harrison as he prepares to challenge for the ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Title on Friday, August 26.
The hard-hitting Brit will face Nong-O Gaiyanghadao for the gold at ONE on Prime Video I: Moraes vs. Johnson II live in North American primetime, and he refuses to engage with the Thai legend on social media.
Until now, the pair have been extremely cordial – even admitting to being huge fans of one another – but Nong-O recently escalated his talk to tell Harrison, “I am coming for blood.”
For his part, “Hitman” is adamant that those comments won’t affect his mindset for this co-main event at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
He said:
“I don’t give a f— what he writes on the internet. It’s empty threats. He’s wasting his time if he wants to try and intimidate me by writing anything like that or carrying on.
“I know how good he is, he knows how good I am. I know how dangerous he is, he knows how dangerous I am. There’s no need for it. Yeah, we both respect each other and we’ll be friendly, but as soon as the bell goes, that’s it. It’s strictly business, the same as any other fight.
“Like he said, don’t mistake kindness for weakness, but we both know what’s going to happen when the bell goes. You’re going to get two pitbulls going at each other.”
It’s clear that Harrison doesn’t need any more motivation for his upcoming contest.
The decorated English striker has already amassed an incredible resume, but he’s hungrier than ever to dethrone the longtime divisional king and snatch the coveted ONE World Title.
With that goal in mind, he’s worked hard to develop a strategy at his home gym of Bad Company in Leeds, and he recently landed in Thailand to finish his fight camp alongside some of the sport’s biggest names.
The 36-year-old said:
“Training is going well. We’ve set up a decent game plan and we’re looking into his style a bit more in depth. I’m happy with how it is all going. I feel sharp, I feel strong, and I’m just looking forward to putting on a show.
“I’ve got good fighters out there in the gym where I’m training [in Thailand]. I’m going to be training with Petchmankong, Superlek, and Saenchai, so yeah, I’m looking forward to it!”
Liam Harrison Aims To Cement Position As UK’s Muay Thai GOAT
After competing for more than 20 years in Muay Thai, Liam Harrison has earned a reputation as the United Kingdom’s greatest of all time in “the art of eight limbs.”
The competitor known as “Hitman” has won multiple prestigious World Titles while consistently facing the best strikers on the planet and staying on top for an unparalleled amount of time.
There’s no doubting his credentials, but the Leeds native knows that defeating a true icon of the sport in Nong-O Gaiyanghadao to win the ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Title would leave any potential rivals in the dust when it comes to his legacy.
Reflecting on his career and what it would mean, Harrison added:
“I’ve had a lot of great wins throughout my career, great stoppage wins by KO. The Anuwat [Kaewsamrit] fight was massive, the [Andrei] Kulebin fight too.
“I had a lot of good fights in Thailand when I lived there getting that experience, and a lot of crazy fights as a teenager in Leeds the got me really well-known around the UK scene and to the top of the UK.
“But yeah, winning the ONE title will solidify that [GOAT status]. I think it’s already solidified to be fair, but I think when I win that fight, nobody will be able to touch me.”
