Road to UFC top prospect from Thailand Noi Kiwram caused a bit of controversy at Road to UFC Singapore last weekend. Just a moment prior to his bout against Yuma Horiuchi, Kiwram smoked a cigarette.
Noi Kiwram defeated Japanese athlete Yuma Horiuchi during episode 3 of Road to UFC Singapore today, which aired live. He put on an incredible performance with his proficient striking skills. He also escaped a rear-naked choke attempt from Horiuchi in the second round.
Top Noi Kiwram has 𝐍𝐎 interest in this fight going to the ground 👊
[ #RoadToUFC Episode 3 is LIVE on @UFCFightPass ] pic.twitter.com/ZffWscjEbX
— UFC (@ufc) June 10, 2022
During the broadcast, the commentary team mentioned how Kiwram is an avid smoker. They also mentioned that the 29-year-old even managed to smoke right before his bout started.
After defeating Horiuchi, an interviewer asked him about the cigarette in the post-fight press conference. Kiwram was asked to clarify if he really smoked before the fight. He sounded a bit bothered by the question but he clarified anyway.
“Sure (I smoke before fights). Every day, bro. Yeah, yeah. This is real, bro. Why don’t you smoke cigarettes? Why don’t you do some bad things? Why? You have 20-or-something years in life? You do something bad, then you go fight? Why do you care? Who cares?” Kiwram said.
He was also asked if he celebrated his victory with a cigarette. Kiwram said yes and said he already smoked one with his coach.
“Now, I have a cigarette with the coach. Just, I finished. What about this? I have a cigarette now.”
With his recent victory, Noi Kiwram moved to the semi-finals of Road to UFC. However, the officials haven’t revealed the date or matchups as of now. Previously, Kiwram mostly competed within Full Metal Dojo and Japanese MMA promotion Rizin. Kiwram has a total score consisting of 8 wins and 3 losses and is now a top prospect in Road to UFC.