Today, though, Liti managed a combined effort of 394kg, while Butt broke his Games record by lifting 405kg, eschewing his final attempt with gold already secured.
Despite the Pakistani putting down a marker that Liti couldn't match, the 26-year-old was unbowed when asked about his opponent's feats.
"He did really good to keep himself ahead, and next time I face off with him it'll definitely be a good one," Liti said. "If he comes to worlds, I'll show him what's up."
It was Butt who showed his pedigree, setting his opening weights beyond what Liti had initially indicated - and proceeding to lift them.
The defending champion recorded a no-lift with his final attempts in both the snatch (174kg) and the clean and jerk (232kg), but even successes at those weights would've have been short of what he managed in Tokyo.
"I think just the preparation was different, the atmosphere was different," Liti said of the two competitions. "It's like a 25-hour flight to get here and it's only 12 to Japan.
"So there's a lot of difference, especially with the time and all of that stuff."
Liti did have the crowd on his side tonight, his status as a fan favourite confirmed when he was introduced to a raucous reception before the competition.
He set his first snatch attempt at 166kg and nodded his head in satisfaction with the bar raised high in the air, before Butt put 170kg on the bar and completed the lift in similarly stress-free style.
The chess match then saw Liti match the 170kg mark, while Butt upped the ante and cleared 173kg - albeit with much more exertion on this occasion.
That lift stood only after a review, leaving Liti with one final attempt to edge in front after the snatch. The Kiwi once more fired up the crowd before stepping to the platform but he never managed to rise from crouch.
After Butt barely failed at his final effort of 174kg, the Pakistani was left with a 3kg edge heading into the clean and jerk.
The gold-medal favourites waited for almost the entire field to complete their three attempts before stepping on the platform in the second half of the competition, with Liti beginning the show by lifting 218kg without too many problems on his first attempt.
It was a similar story on his second effort of 224kg, yet Butt then raised the bar with a weight of 225kg, remaining ahead on the combined score. After the Pakistani also succeeded with his second attempt of 232kg, the gold medal was almost secured.
Liti had one last chance but couldn't complete the clean on his attempt of 232kg, confirming a silver that might not have been the target heading to Birmingham but one that was still proudly worn.
"I feel good - I'm happy," he said. "The medal's not what we wanted, but another day will come."
