British legend Liam “Hitman” Harrison has been forced to withdraw from his scheduled bantamweight kickboxing bout at ONE Fight Night 38: Andrade vs. Baatarkhuu due to injury, prompting ONE Championship matchmakers to secure a replacement opponent for Japanese veteran Shinji Suzuki. Thai powerhouse Nontachai Jitmuangnon will now step in to face him under Muay Thai rules at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on Friday, December 5. The match will air live on Prime Video during ONE Championship’s final U.S. primetime broadcast of 2025.
Nontachai Seeks Momentum After Weight Class Drop in ONE Fight Night 38
The 26-year-old Jitmuangnon Gym product initially captured attention by winning the 2023 Road to ONE: Thailand tournament. Then, he stormed to a perfect 3-0 start under the ONE Championship banner. Nontachai’s early promotional success included a commanding decision over Alessio Malatesta in July 2024, followed by a spectacular knockout of Dmitrii “The Silent Assassin” Kovtun four months later, with both catchweight Muay Thai victories coming at 150 pounds.
The Thai striker’s winning streak extended into March with a successful U.S. primetime debut against Arian “The Destroyer” Esparza, earning a unanimous decision in the featherweight ranks. However, disaster struck in July when Abdulla Dayakaev connected with a bout-ending left hook merely 24 seconds into the opening round of their featherweight clash, handing Nontachai his first promotional defeat and exposing defensive vulnerabilities.
Nontachai responded to adversity by dropping to bantamweight in October, where he appeared noticeably sharper and more defensively sound in his majority decision victory over Soner Sen. The 51-fight veteran has built his reputation on suffocating clinch work and relentless inside fighting, and now he looks to establish himself as a legitimate threat in the bantamweight Muay Thai division at ONE Fight Night 38.
Suzuki Hunting for Redemption in ONE Fight Night 38
The 40-year-old Tokyo native earned his ONE Championship contract by winning the 2022 Road to ONE: Japan tournament with consecutive knockout victories, bringing two decades of Muay Thai experience from Fujimakick Muay Thai Gym to the global stage. Suzuki’s promotional debut proved challenging, as Suablack Tor Pran49 finished the Japanese veteran in September 2023 to derail his momentum.
The veteran bounced back impressively in March 2024, utilizing his boxing to knock down former ONE World Title challenger Han Zi Hao en route to a clear unanimous decision victory. That triumph demonstrated Suzuki’s ability to compete with elite-level opposition and suggested his debut setback had been an aberration rather than a sign of decline.
Suzuki’s resurgence proved short-lived when Jake “The One” Peacock systematically broke him down with punishing body shots in February, scoring three knockdowns in the third round to secure a TKO stoppage. The loss highlighted the Japanese veteran’s vulnerability to sustained body attacks and raised questions about whether his best years remain ahead or behind him as he approaches ONE Fight Night 38.
The Stakes For Both Fighters At ONE Fight Night 38
For Nontachai, this short-notice opportunity at ONE Fight Night 38 represents a chance to solidify his standing in the ultra-stacked bantamweight Muay Thai division. A convincing performance against an experienced opponent like Suzuki would erase lingering doubts from his knockout loss to Dayakaev and position him for increasingly more meaningful bouts against ranked competition in 2026.
Suzuki faces perhaps the most critical juncture of his ONE Championship tenure, needing a statement victory to prove he belongs among the division’s elite contenders. Defeating a surging prospect like Nontachai would instantly restore his credibility while demonstrating that his knockout loss to Peacock was an anomaly rather than evidence of irreversible decline.
ONE Fight Night 38 airs live on Prime Video on Friday, December 5. The action begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. The event is free for all Amazon Prime subscribers in the U.S. and Canada.
