Jonathan Haggerty ascended to the top of the Muay Thai world in 2023. Now, Liam Nolan is hoping to become Britain’s next global superstar.
After a successful comeback fight at ONE Fight Night 18, Nolan returns against Spain’s Nauzet Trujillo at ONE Fight Night 19 in Bangkok, Thailand, on Friday, Feb. 16, to continue his trek toward a title shot in the lightweight Muay Thai division.
Nolan scored a dominant unanimous deicison win against Ali Aliev at last month’s showcase, and he’s feeling extremely confident heading into his bout with Trujillo.
“It felt so good [to be back]. When I came into the third round, I finally felt like I could just throw and be myself,” Nolan told ONE.
“It took me to get to the third round to remember how good I can be here. When I first stepped in the ring, I was like, ‘Oh, shit, I’m about to go and do it now. It’s been a while.’”
For “Lethal,” the next matchup is all about his mindset. While he has examined his opponent nd feels ready for him, the British striker is simply viewing the bout as an extension of his last outing.
He wants to build on what he did in January by acting as if he went to his corner to awaiting the start of the next frame.
“I’ve dusted the cobwebs off, and I’ve got the fresh feeling in my mind. I’m going again straight away. The way I’m looking at this is that this is round four now. It’s the same fight, just the next round, and I’m going to build on what I did in the last three rounds,” Nolan said.
It is all part of his plan for 2024. The Londoner wants to works his up to face ONE lightweight kickboxing and Muay Thai world champion Regian Eersel, and he knows the only way he’ll get there is by winning.
“Like I said, this is all work, you know? Why not go and work? I’ve built up, I’ve got the rounds in, I want to be building up to that World Title, and this is it. This is another important bit of building to get to where I want to go, and that’s to the top of the division,” Nolan stated.
Against Trujillo, the 26-year-old is expecting a high-paced affair. He knows the Spaniard likes to work that way. Far from being intimidated by this, Nolan sees many flaws in his technique that will leave openings for him.
“He’s game. He’s very game. He’s not technically as good as Aliev who I just fought, but he wants to exchange. I like that about him, but with my stature and my abilities, I think that will be his downfall, man,” the lightweight star said.
Nolan predicts that the end will come via an emphatic knockout.
He got rid of the butterflies in his return last month and is ready to put forth one of the night’s biggest finishes.
“I think I’m going to knock this guy out, man. At some point in the fight, I have to. The dust was shaken off last time. But I’m settling for nothing less than a finish here,” Nolan said.
ONE Fight Night 19 airs live on Prime Video on Friday, Feb. 16. The action begins at 8 p.m. EST/5 p.m. PST and is free for all Amazon Prime subscribers in the U.S. and Canada.