In the world of MMA, some criticize promotions like the UFC for prioritizing profit over athletes’ well-being, exemplified by Demetrious Johnson’s departure. However, ONE Championship, led by CEO Chatri Sityodtong, stands out for its focus on athlete treatment, as evidenced by the recent Liam Harrison situation.

Despite the success of ONE 167:Tawanchai vs. Nattawut at the Impact Arena in Bangkok on June 7th, there was some controversy. Flyweightweight Muay Thai World Champions, Rodtang Jitmuangnon, and Liam Harrison missed weight. However, thanks to the ONE organization’s handling the situation, they were able to overcome these issues. In fact, Harrison even wrote a thank you note to CEO Chatri Sityodtong.

Liam Harrison appreciates Chatri Sityodtong’s understanding of ONE 167  withdrawal

Ranked #5 in ONE Championship’s Bantamweight Muay Thai division, Liam Harrison was forced to stay out of the ring for nearly two years due to an injury sustained in his 2022 ONE on Prime Video 1 titled fight against Nong-O-Hama. The bout, a ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Championship challenge, resulted in defeat for Harrison and a torn ACL, MCL, and meniscus, requiring surgery.

Now, after a long recovery, “Hitman” was prepared to make his comeback at ONE 167, but he had to withdraw. However, CEO Chatri Sityodtong stepped forward, offering Harrison full pay and compensation, which Liam Harrison acknowledged on social media with a thank you note. On Instagram, Harrison posted a message revealing his devastation after exiting the fight.

However, he further revealed that he had spoken with the CEO, who acknowledged his situation. Hitman continued, saying, “He’s also paid me in full and compensated me for my camp and hard work in the lead-up to this fight. I can’t thank him enough for how he has dealt with this for me.”

Moreover, fan-favorite Liam Harrison was very excited about his fight with Japanese star Katsuki Kitano. A seasoned veteran with a 4-2 record under the ONE Championship banner, Harrison had never faced such a situation in his entire 13-year career. Since the weigh-in controversy erupted, Harrison has adamantly maintained that a ONE Championship employee made a mistake during the process. Let’s delve into how this controversy unfolded.

Reason for Harrison’s pullout from ONE 167

Imagine training for months for a fight, only to have it fall through due to a last-minute organizational error just two days beforehand. This is exactly what happened to Liam Harrison, the  #5 ranked ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai fighter. Devastated and frustrated, Harrison was primed for the fight, even giving exclusive interviews to renowned media outlets like Essentially Sports. According to Harrison, he unofficially weighed in on the same scales earlier in the day and was told that he was 3 pounds under

On the day of the weigh-in,” Hitman continued, ” We Asked the official ONE representative to check my weight on the official scales. I weighed in at 143 lbs and was advised to drink some water as I was under. ” Harrison further explained that he followed the instructions of the official and consumed around 500 ml of water. He then returned to the scales a few hours later.

Harrison further elaborated that after returning to the scales a few hours later- having first weighed in unofficially-the same scales now indicated he weighed 146 lbs. He found it scientifically impossible to gain 3 lbs after consuming less than 500 ml of water and urinating. Following this, Liam Harrison took to social media to address the situation, calling it human error. Unfortunately, by then, it was too late, as the weigh-in was already being live-streamed on YouTube.