Masaaki Noiri Dominates Liu Mengyang with First-Round KO in ONE SAMURAI Featherweight Kickboxing Tournament Semifinals

In a thrilling display at ONE SAMURAI 2 in Tokyo, Japan, former ONE Interim Featherweight Kickboxing World Champion Masaaki Noiri delivered a powerful first-round knockout against China's Liu "Spirit Dragon" Mengyang. This decisive victory not only avenged a previous loss for Noiri but also propelled him into the tournament semifinals, earning him a substantial US$100,000 performance bonus.

The highly anticipated rematch began with a tactical exchange. Liu initiated with front kicks and body kicks, but Noiri quickly responded with a potent calf kick that visibly impacted "Spirit Dragon." Both fighters engaged in close-range exchanges, trading kicks and punches while maintaining strong defensive guards.

As the first round neared its end, Noiri increased his aggression. A clean left hand was followed by another precise left, sending Liu to the canvas. The Chinese fighter was unable to recover, and the referee stopped the bout at 2:59 of the first round, leading to an ecstatic celebration from Noiri and his teammate, kickboxing star Takeru Segawa.

In the co-main event, Iran's Mohammad Siasarani also secured a spectacular first-round knockout against Japanese prospect Kaito in their ONE SAMURAI Featherweight Kickboxing Tournament quarterfinal match. This impressive finish, which earned Siasarani a US$50,000 bonus, extended his winning streak to five and advanced him to the semifinals.

Kaito started the fight aggressively with quick punch combinations. Siasarani, however, maintained a composed defense and effectively countered with sharp combinations. He systematically broke down Kaito's defenses with low kicks and precise left hooks, establishing his rhythm.

Siasarani concluded the bout with a powerful left head kick. Although Kaito initially blocked the strike, he was unable to defend against the devastating follow-up. A second head kick landed flush, knocking Kaito out cold. The referee stopped the contest at 1:27 of the first round.

ONE SAMURAI 2 Results:

• Masaaki Noiri defeated Liu Mengyang via KO (punches) at 2:59 of round one (kickboxing – featherweight)
• Mohammad Siasarani defeated Kaito via KO (head kick) at 1:27 of round one (kickboxing – featherweight)
• Luo Chao defeated Kosuke Takagi via unanimous decision (kickboxing – featherweight)
• Keito Yamakita defeated Koyuru Tanoue via submission (bulldog choke) at 4:37 of round one (MMA – strawweight)
• Reiji defeated Shoma Okumura via unanimous decision (kickboxing – strawweight)
• Katsuki Kitano defeated Ranma via KO (knees to the body) at 0:50 of round three (kickboxing – bantamweight)
• Subaru Mori defeated Yusuke Sato via submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:43 of round two (MMA – lightweight)