“When I was being bullied, I wasn't bullied” – Masaaki Noiri hopes to inspire kids with his martial arts journey

Masaaki Noiri He's currently one of the biggest stars in Japanese kickboxing, but he wants people to focus on how he got there rather than his own achievements.

Noiri will be making her ONE Championship debut against the Thai veteran. Sitthichai Situsongpeenong in a featherweight kickboxing match ONE 167: Tawanchai vs. Nattawut II It will take place on Friday, June 7th at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.

Masaaki Nogi talks about turning to martial arts for revenge

The 31-year-old has reached incredible heights in his career, but reveals he has had to work hard to succeed ever since taking up karate as a boy to protect himself from bullies. Ta.

“I don't think I had any natural talent at all.In my early matches, I lost one match to a girl and even cried when I lost, but there was a senior I looked up to at the same dojo, and I admired her and continued to do it. Ta” Noiri said in an interview with ONE:

His interest in this sport later led him to the sport in which he now makes a living.

Once there, Nogi started to get competitive. And although I faced obstacles early on, I quickly learned that perseverance is key.

“For me, kickboxing was an extension of karate. I started kickboxing seriously in the second year of junior high school, and then started competing in amateur kickboxing competitions.” the Japanese star said.

“At first, I was just playing around and didn't really focus on martial arts. When I lost in the semi-finals of a tournament, someone told me, 'If you're not motivated, quit.' That made me decide to take revenge.”

As his career progressed, Noiri tried to combine kickboxing with his university studies, but it soon became clear that the two were impossible, so the budding star abandoned his studies and moved to Tokyo to pursue the sport full-time.

This proved to be the right decision, as he went on to win the prestigious local title, the 2017 K-1 World Grand Prix super lightweight championship, and the 2021 K-1 welterweight title.

Japanese fighters want to be an inspiration

With his ONE Championship debut just around the corner, Nogi is happy with his performance so far and hopes that future competitors will see him as an inspiration to overcome difficult situations. There is.

“When I was bullied, I was too embarrassed to talk to anyone about it, so I kept it to myself.'' He said.

“I believe there are children in similar situations all over the world. I want to fight in a way that will inspire them when they see me.”