Noiri vs. Liu II, Kaito vs. Siasarani II Confirmed For 8-Man Featherweight Kickboxing Tournament At ONE SAMURAI 2
Following the historic success of ONE SAMURAI 1, the world’s largest martial arts organization is returning to Tokyo, Japan, to deliver another unforgettable evening of combat sports excellence.
Broadcasting live and exclusively on live.onefc.com, ONE SAMURAI 2 goes down on Saturday, August 8, emanating from the spectacular Ebara Wave Arena Ota.
At the absolute heart of this blockbuster card is the ONE Samurai Featherweight Kickboxing Tournament. The ultimate victor of this stacked eight-man bracket will earn a highly coveted, guaranteed shot at reigning ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Champion Superbon.
Kicking off the monumental bracket are a pair of incredibly high-stakes rematches. Former Interim ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Champion Masaaki Noiri will run it back with Chinese phenom Liu “Spirit Dragon” Mengyang.
Joining them in the tournament is another explosive collision, as Japanese striking ace Kaito looks to settle the score against Iranian powerhouse Mohammad Siasarani.
Striking Masters Run It Back
Masaaki Noiri’s tenure in ONE Championship is a truly inspiring story of pure perseverance. The Japanese striking ace endured a difficult promotional start, dropping his first two appearances, including a tough decision loss in his initial meeting with Liu at ONE Friday Fights 92 in 2024.
However, Noiri sparked a remarkable resurgence with a devastating calf-kick TKO over Shakir Al-Tekreeti at ONE 170. Riding that massive momentum, he orchestrated a stunning come-from-behind knockout over ONE Featherweight Muay Thai World Champion Tawanchai PK Saenchai at ONE 172 to claim the interim kickboxing crown.
Although he lost a grueling title unification bout to Superbon at ONE 173, the 33-year-old is heavily driven to reclaim his throne, and that path begins with avenging his early defeat.
Looking to deny that redemption is Liu. In their first encounter, the Chinese standout landed a vicious right cross counter for an early knockdown, paving the way for a dominant unanimous decision win over the Team Vasileus representative.
After a brief stumble against Mohammad Siasarani, Liu proved himself by taking out big names, including former Interim ONE World Title challenger Shadow Mavinn. He then authored a career-defining moment, stopping Tawanchai with a brutal first-round leg kick TKO at ONE Friday Fights 137 to disrupt the loaded division.
Most recently, the 23-year-old surgically dismantled Gabriel Pereira at The Inner Circle 15 after an injury forced Superbon out of their scheduled World Title clash. With the undisputed champion recovering, “Spirit Dragon” aims to run through this elite field to cement himself as the unquestioned top contender.
A Collision Of Technique And Ferocity
Mohammad Siasarani steadily rose through the most stacked striking division in the world during his tenure in the ONE Friday Fights series. The Iranian combatant racked up eight victories in the weekly circuit, highlighted by statement wins over both Liu Mengyang and Kaito.
In their initial encounter, Siasarani effectively spoiled the Japanese star’s highly anticipated promotional debut at ONE Friday Fights 109, overwhelming Kaito with relentless forward pressure and punishing volume.
After earning a US$100,000 contract with a stunning knockout of “Smokin” Jo Nattawut at ONE Friday Fights 137, Siasarani won an absolute war against Pedro “Guerreiro” Dantas in his main roster debut at ONE Fight Night 39. For the heavy-handed Iranian, this tournament is the perfect launchpad to a World Title opportunity.
Conversely, this high-stakes tournament serves as the prime chance for Kaito to get his career back on track. Widely renowned for his technical brilliance, the multiple-time K-1 Champion entered ONE with immense credentials that even include a spectacular victory over Masaaki Noiri outside the promotion.
That success, however, has eluded him at the highest level. Following his tough loss to Siasarani, Kaito faced Marat Grigorian at ONE SAMURAI 1 this past April, where the Armenian legend beat him via a devastating first-round knockout.
Now, Kaito is heavily motivated to redeem himself in front of the Japanese faithful on August 8. A breakthrough win would push him to the next round of this prestigious tournament and firmly establish him in the running for 26 pounds of gold.
