After a dominant run at the top of ONE Championship’s bantamweight Muay Thai mountain, former divisional king Nong-O Hama has stumbled onto tough times lately.
But the Muay Thai legend is looking to get back on track at ONE Friday Fights 58: Superbon vs. Grigorian II.
Nong-O meets Thai knockout specialist Kulabdam Sor Jor Piek Uthai at the Friday, 5th April, event inside Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, and he has plans to make his way back toward the World Title with a decisive win.
The 37-year-old lost the World Title to Jonathan Haggerty in shocking fashion at ONE Fight Night 9 last April, and he came up short to Nico Carrillo in his return eight months later. Nonetheless, he's far from giving up the fight just yet.
“I was a champion before, and I lost my belt. I will say that I thought about coming back to take my belt back as soon as I lost to Jonathan Haggerty. Now, I’m trying to earn a title shot, and I believe that I’ll come back greater than ever,” Nong-O said.
“My goal before retiring is to become the World Champion again.”
Over the last 12 months, the bantamweight Muay Thai division has seen the rise of some of the sport's most frightening strikers, with divisional king Haggerty and rising star Carrillo undoubtedly mentioned at the top of that list.
Nong-O’s upcoming foe, Kulabdam, has also made his name known in ONE Championship thanks to the deadly firepower he has displayed in the promotion’s ONE Friday Fights series.
The dangerous Thai has knocked out his last three opponents, and he’ll be looking to cement his place among the best with a win over a legend like Nong-O.
But the former longtime bantamweight Muay Thai kingpin knows exactly what he needs to do in his upcoming bout. And though he rates Kulabdam highly, he expects his vast experience will make the evening difficult for “Left Meteorite.”
“I give Kulabdam 10 out of 10. This man is in top form right now. But he doesn’t dare think that he’s going to beat me easily,” Nong-O stated.
“This fight is going to be explosive. I’m ready to go toe-to-toe with him, and I’ll never back down.”
