English Muay Thai legend is back from injury, and plans to return with a bang against Japanese striker Katsuki Kitano at ONE 167 in Bangkok, Thailand. Ahead of fight night at the Impact Arena, Harrison chatted about his time away, his opponent, and his plan to put on a show on Saturday night.
Tell us about your recent knee injury. How hard was it to come back from that?
My ACL, MCL, medial and lateral meniscus were all torn.
It was very hard mentally to come back from this, especially as an older athlete. I had to really push the boundaries of my mental strength. Luckily, I had a great rehab team behind me and great support from my family and friends.
You must be chomping at the bit to fight again. What’s your mindset, and how did you manage to come back?
When I was injured and out for the injury, all I worked on was explosive movements and things like that. So, my training changed a lot and I feel like I’ve come back stronger than before.
So yeah, I’m looking forward to getting back in there, and like you said, chomping at the bit. I’m looking forward to getting in there and turning the clocks back a bit, and then doing what I used to do a couple of years ago and just having f*****g wild fights.
Kitano debuted with ONE at the back end of last year. What do you think of his style?
It looked like his elbows were dangerous, and he was dangerous with his high kicks from the fight I watched. But he looked like he struggled under pressure big time, though. If he hadn’t knocked the guy down in the first round, he wouldn’t have won that fight I don’t think because he was under some heavy pressure in round two.
And that’s what I do. I come forward. I’m an aggressive pressure fighter. Obviously, I’m going to have to be on my guard, he’s not a mug and he’s got quite a few good weapons. But I’m going to come and I’m going to try and blast him straight out of there. He’s a tough guy, and he’s a good name. He’s on a good winning streak, but he’s stood in my way here, and I want to come back and show the fans in the crowd and everyone that I’ve still got what it takes to hang at the top level.
How do you expect to feel when you get back in there?
Some questions need to be answered. Like, am I going to come back as vicious? Will I still have that knockout power?
I’m going to answer those questions with a resounding yes. So, that’s what I’m going to be looking to do – come forward, get him on his back foot, and I’m going to hurt him.
You mention he’s on a good winning streak, but you’ve been in there against the best in the world. How do you see his level?
Listen, you could give me someone who no one has ever even heard of, who’s only had one fight and I would still run myself into the ground in the gym, and I would train like I was fighting one of the best fighters on the planet. Everyone gets the same treatment no matter who they are. I know he’s going to be dangerous, and I know he’s going to want to make a name for himself off of my back.
That’s the risk when you’re fighting some up-and-coming fighter, they want to take your scalp because it’ll propel them into stardom. So, obviously he’s got a lot on the line, but I’ve got a lot on the line as well.
Yes, he’s a solid opponent, he’s a good opponent. He’s going to be looking to make a name for himself. And like you said, I’ve been in there with the best of the best for the last 20 years. I’ve done this. So, yeah. He’s got some dangerous weapons. I’m going to have to be sharp and on point, which I will be, but I can honestly only see it going one way.
What’s your prediction for the fight?
Like I said, it’s only going one way. I’m going to knock him out. I want to make a statement.
That’s what the crowd wants to see, the “Hitman” of old. I’m not going to come in there and just try and think, ‘Ooh, it’s my first fight back, I’d better take this easy and just try to steal a win.’ People don’t pay their money to watch Liam Harrison fight for that to happen.
You’re going to get Liam Harrison’s Muay Mat style – hard punches, hard kicks, walking forward and there’ll be a bit of action and a bit of drama, I’m sure.
Do you have new goals now that you’re back feeling stronger than ever?
I’m just taking one fight at a time, and just enjoying myself, providing entertainment for the fans with no pressure.
No, ‘I’m going to do this, I’m going to do that.’ Just enjoy it. Right now, I’m fully focused on Kitano, and I’m not even thinking about Seksan. I’m going to fully focus on that fight, and then I’ll fully focus on Seksan. I just want to enjoy the fights. Then I’ll see where I’m at.
