Muay Thai is a crucial component of the MMA toolkit, and there are some excellent practitioners of the art in the UFC.
Of course, the best Muay Thai fighters in the world still compete under Muay Thai rules, rather than MMA rules, and these days, the top fighters in the sport typically flock to ONE Championship. That includes England’s Liam Harrison. Harrison, who is considered one of the greatest foreigners to ever compete in Muay Thai, spent his early career competing in Thai stadiums against the best fighters in the country. However, in recent years, he has called ONE home, and is one of the bigger stars on the promotion’s roster.
Harrison is also an active social media user, and frequently opines on the sport on X and Instagram.
Earlier this week, Harrison took to social media to reminisce about the last time he tried his hand at kickboxing. While many fighters tend to jump between Muay Thai and kickboxing due to the similarities between the sports, Harrison said he prefers the former to the latter.
The last time I fought kickboxing against Noiri …ended with me needing plastic surgery …safe to say I won’t ever be fighting those rules again. Fighting Muaythai is so fun and enjoyable, wasn’t one bit of enjoyment when fighting kickboxing at all. pic.twitter.com/9PGzZpVKYp
— liam harrison (@LiamBadco) April 3, 2025
“The last time I fought kickboxing against Noiri,” Harrison wrote in a post that included video of his fight with new ONE interim featherweight kickboxing champ Masaaki Noiri. [It] ended with me needing plastic surgery… Safe to say I won’t ever be fighting those rules again. Fighting Muay Thai is so fun and enjoyable, wasn’t one bit of enjoyment when fighting kickboxing at all.”