Liam Harrison: “I need to put on a blistering performance on Friday”
Liam Harrison makes his return at ONE 156 this weekend and is taking on a tough opponent in Thanousin in a Muay Thai bout that has major title implications. Harrison has his eyes on Petchmorakot who has a win over Harrison in the past
Listen to Liam Harrison on the podcast below!
Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts
Starting out in martial arts, Harrison was hooked early. He found Thai boxing at a young age and knew immediately what it was about and that he was absolutely made for the sport.
“I was 13 years old the first time I went to the gym. My cousin took me down, I was playing a lot of football at the time. He said, ‘Do you want to come down and try this? It’s good for fitness and good for self-defense.’ I was brought up in a bit of rough area and if you can’t fight, you’d be eaten alive. So I thought it would be good for that. I went down and the first time I walked in the gym doors I fell in love with it. I was 13 years old and I had my first junior fight when I was 13. I had my first pro adult fight when I was 14.”
And the poor chap that had to fight Liam Harrison in his pro debut at a tender age of 14 stood no chance, despite a big age difference “He was 19,” says Harrison. “I knocked him out in about 40 seconds.”
That was all she wrote and Harrison was hooked up and it was all he could think about.
“After that first fight I just could not stop thinking about it. When I reached school I paid no attention at all. All I was doing was day dreaming about my next fight. I was obsessed.”
An interesting point to think about with Liam Harrison fighting at 14 was the fact that he was still in school and fighting as a professional Nak Muay.
“I was fighting very regularly at those times. I was having seven, eight fights a year. I literally was bouncing from one fight camp to the next. I was in the gym all the time. My school work obviously took a bit of a back-step. I was already not the best in school, I’ve got ADHD so I was already struggling with learning. And when Thai boxing came along my hyper focus went to that.”
Liam Harrison and ONE Championship
After fighting all around the world and in the most iconic Muay Thai stadiums, Lumpinee and Rajadamnern. While those memories are great, Liam Harrison admits that ONE Championship is among the best promotions he’s fought for in his storied career.
“It’s amazing. It’s by far the best promotion that I’ve ever fought with. Everything from the production to the way they treat you, the money is amazing. I just love being part of it. I love fighting in the 4 ounce MMA gloves. I love being a part of it.”
And in ONE, Harrison fights in 4 ounce gloves as opposed to the traditional 8 ounce you see in traditional Muay Thai. He says that his style works perfectly with the smaller gloves and he reaps the benefits from the change.
“My style when I fight, I’m a power puncher and a power kicker. So going down from 8 ounce gloves, that suits me down to the ground. Anyone that is a hard puncher is going to enjoy fighting in those gloves. Obviously there’s a few things you can’t do in the gloves. You’ve got to have good head movement, you can’t do the long guard, etc. You’ve got to be a bit lighter on your feet because you can’t just stand there and take a shot. It only takes one shot with those gloves to shut your lights out.”
With the gloves being such a game changer for a Thai boxer, another way it changes the fight is hand fighting. With exposed fingers, you can grab the wrist and that opens up a new part of the game.
“You can grab the hand and strike. Obviously when you come in there with good IQ they’re not going to let that happen. But you can grab the hand and elbow and you can grab the hand and punch.”
Liam Harrison vs. Thanousin at ONE 156
Liam Harrison’s opponent, Thanousin, is one of the best in the world of Muay Thai. Having nearly 250 pro fights, Thanousin has been around the block. This is the first time they meet and Harrison knows what he’s getting into.
“I don’t need to do much research. He’s one of the most famous fighters on the planet. I know pretty much what he’s going to bring to the table. He’s a very tough, durable guy. He likes to come forward and elbow. He’s tough and he’s a southpaw so it’s going to be a good fight.”
Looking ahead, Liam Harrison knows he’s close to a shot at Petchmorakot again. He says this fight needs to be a statement and he will go out at ONE 156 to make a huge statement on Friday.
“Obviously to win the title. I know they told me I’m not far off from getting a shot so I need to put on a blistering performance on Friday and that will push me one step closer to the gold.”
So why tune in? If you don’t know Liam Harrison and how he fights, he provides a little insight onto why the layman should tune in and catch his fight on ONE 156.
“I’ve said it in an interview earlier and said what you see is what you get. And what you get is knockouts, knockdowns, blood, guts, sweat and tears. You get it all. Most of all, you get action.”
**********
In addition to covering the ONE Championship for My MMA News, Blaine Henry, the author, also analyzes fights from all combat sports across the globe.
Blaine Henry can be found on Twitter, on his podcast, and Patreon.
