ONE Fight Night 31: 'Man of His Word' - Liam Nolan Cites Chatri Sityodtong as Reason For Return

Charismatic British striker Liam Nolan is coming out of retirement to face the man who defeated him in the last bout. "Lethal" will take on Spaniard Nauzet Trujillo in a lightweight Muay Thai rematch on 3 May at the iconic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

ONE Fight Night 31 will serve as the stage for Nolan's highly anticipated comeback. It's the same venue where Trujillo defeated him fair and square. Now, he has the golden opportunity to exact revenge and climb the ranks to get the title shot.

Earlier in the year, the Brit left the striking world in shock when announced his retirement. At just 27 years old, his decision to walk away from the sport was unexpected. Recently, Nolan explained why he chose to call it a day.

"It wasn't overnight. I just decided I had to focus on life. ONE is great, but after a couple of months, I spoke to my family and told them I needed to take a break from all of it for a while and get my house in order," Nolan said.

"But even when I posted that message on social media, I knew I'd be back. It's my game. It's my bread and butter. Even when I was away from fighting, the fire was never out. It was always there."

A former WBC Muay Thai World Champion, Nolan achieved significant success in his home country. He made his ONE debut in 2019, though it ended in defeat. After a rough start in his first two bouts, he bounced back stronger, winning four of his next five fights.

Nolan always knew he would return to action, but a call from ONE Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong sped up the process. Inspired by Sityodtong's words, Nolan is grateful for the encouragement.

"Chatri had just finished ONE 170 and still took the time to reach out and call me the next day. He just asked me what was going on and told me he believed in me. He broke down his story with rising through ONE," Nolan said.

"It was a good feeling, having the boss call me like that. He told me he'd get me a fight in May and organize it personally. He was a man of his word. Everything he said he'd do he came through on. So I can't thank him enough for that."