Liam Nolan is back in ONE Championship, determined to get revenge in his rematch against Nauzet Trujillo on May 3rd.
Nolan, a British fighter, was close to competing for the Muay Thai world title when Spain`s Trujillo defeated him last year.
Now, Nolan is focused on settling the score in their upcoming second fight.
`It will be fantastic to even the score. I know I`m capable of winning, and achieving that will be amazing,` Nolan stated.
`I`ve reflected on the previous fight a lot, reviewing it with my coaches. There are definitely adjustments I`ll make this time.`
`Returning and regaining momentum is crucial.`
Nolan was on the verge of challenging for the ONE Muay Thai lightweight world championship when he first faced Trujillo.
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Despite dominating the first round of their initial fight, misfortune struck Nolan. He fractured his right hand, and in the second round, an elbow from Trujillo caused a cut, dropping Nolan and damaging his nose.
He continued to fight, but it wasn`t enough to win the three-round match.
`When he hit me with that elbow, I was in bad shape. My nose was broken, my hand was broken. With a broken nose, if you try to breathe out too hard, your eye swells up, so I couldn`t see properly either. It was a real mess,` Nolan recalled.
`Anything can happen in a fight. That night, it did,` he added. `I want to overcome that. If something like that happens again, I`m going to fight back even harder. I`ll do whatever it takes to win.`
To prepare for this rematch, Nolan has been training with UFC fighter Ian Garry. `We`ve sparred many rounds together, which has been incredible. He`s been my main sparring partner for this fight,` Nolan mentioned.
`We do five-minute rounds, and it’s very strategic, like a chess match. We`re both trying to outsmart each other, focusing on details like feints. It’s high-level training.`
`It’s been excellent preparation, and I’m really benefiting from it.`
Championship Goal
Nolan believes that a victory in this rematch will put him back on track for a world title opportunity, although he might need to wait for George Jarvis, another British fighter, to challenge Regian Eersel, the current ONE lightweight Muay Thai world champion.
`I`m close to a title shot,` Nolan stated. `I think George Jarvis deserves to fight for the world title next.`
`Perhaps after my rematch, I`ll have another fight and then potentially face the winner of Jarvis versus Eersel.`
`George and I have a rivalry. We`re in the same division and both British. A fight between us would be huge.`
`I believe George has the potential to defeat Eersel. Eersel is a great champion, but George`s Muay Thai style is very effective… It would be a fantastic match.`
`My ultimate goal remains becoming world champion. That hasn’t changed,` Nolan declared. `Even after losing to Trujillo, my ambition is still to reach the top.`
