“That’s life. That’s what all the people say. You’re riding high in April; shot down in May.”
Those words were famously sung by the legendary Frank Sinatra, and they could easily be attributed to British Muay Thai icon Liam Harrison's journey over the last two years.
In May 2022, “Hitman” was enjoying a two-fight winning streak in ONE Championship and was fresh off a win against Muangthai PK Saenchai in a battle that would later be named the promotion’s Muay Thai fight of the year.
That performance earned him a shot at the then-ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion Nong-O Hama at ONE on Prime Video I in August. But one kick from his Thai foe in the first round of that fight would unravel everything for the Leeds native.
The impact tore Harrison's ACL, MCL, and meniscus, leading him to be sidelined for the next 20 months. But the 38-year-old striker is ready to return to action against Katsuki Kitano at ONE 167: Stamp vs. Zamboanga on Saturday, 8th June, in Bangkok, Thailand’s Impact Arena, and he believes the bumpy road back has only made him tougher.
“This sport is the highest of the highs and the lowest of the lows. I say this all the time. The fight before [the injury against Nong-O], I fought Muangthai. I knocked him out in the first round. It got voted Fight of the Year. Five knockdowns in the space of 90 seconds. I got a $100,000 bonus from that fight,” he recalled.
“Then, the next fight, I leave on a stretcher and get put in the back of an ambulance. So what can you do? You’ve got to suck it up and be able to come back strong. And that’s what I’m doing.”
Training to get back to fight fitness has been arduous due to the extent of his injuries, but having a fight date set helped to transition Harrison’s mindset.
The Bad Company brawler believes he is now over the biggest hump of his career and is back to his old self. And with his destructive power, which has shocked the likes of combat sports pundit Joe Rogan, fans should expect to see fireworks when he makes his way to the ring next month.
“Now I’m back to training like I was before. Getting lots of hard, hard sparring rounds in because, obviously, while I’ve been out with injury, that’s what I missed. So I’m getting all that locked in now. I’m sparring with some real heavy hitters, some real sharp guys, and I’m just enjoying it,” the 38-year-old beamed.
“I was in pain all the time. The main thing is now I’m not. And I’m enjoying it again. So it’s going to be good to be back.”
