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On August 26 at ONE on Prime Video 1, ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world champion Nong-O Gaiyanghadao will defend his belt for a sixth straight time. The Thai living legend has defended his ONE world title more than any ONE Super Series world champion in the organization.
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Ever since debuting in ONE back in 2018, the former Lumpinee and Rajadamnern stadium champion has not lost a single bout. His last three bouts - all world title defenses - all came by way of devastating knockouts.
Simply put, Nong-O is looking quite unstoppable right now. The Sakon Nakhon native is quickly running out of worthy opposition as ONE has thrown every world-class fighter in front of him and he keeps on knocking them off.
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This time, however, Nong-O will be facing a bonafide wild card in the division. "Wild" being the operative word. English Muay Thai brawler Liam 'The Hitman' Harrison was flying under the radar of the division before his epic fight with Muangthai PK.Saenchai back in April.
'Hitman' was knocked down twice but then bounced back to stop Muangthai in incredible fashion. It was no doubt one of the most heart-stopping comeback wins in Muay Thai in recent memory. The win earned Harrison a double-bonus and a guaranteed world title shot.
This co-main event bout at ONE on Prime Video 1 is a classic tactician vs. brawler dance. Nong-O is one of the most technically sound fighters in history, while Harrison is a cyclone of elbows, knees, kicks and punches. Today, we look at the keys to victory for both fighters to come out on top on August 26.
For Nong-O Gaiyanghadao: technique, precision, timing and feints
As what was said, Nong-O Gaiyanghadao is one of the most technical strikers in the sport today. His timing, precision, and sense of distance and fundamentals are second to none. Watching him work is like witnessing a Rennaisance painter create a masterpiece - with his limbs as his paintbrushes.
That being said, Nong-O Gaiyanghadao doesn't have to do anything new. Technical mastery has always been his M.O. and has allowed him to dismantle the best fighters in the sport. One could argue that Liam Harrison's style is tailor-made for Nong-O: an aggressive brawler who tends to throw caution to the wind.
The ONE world champion will have to use feints early to make Harrison reveal his "tell". Once Nong-O has collected enough data to figure out Harrison's tendencies, he can slowly but intensely increase the pressure.
To close in on 'The Hitman', Nong-O Gaiyanghadao has to use perfectly-timed and precise strikes. He doesn't want to brawl the brawler. Piston-like straight punches and clean roundhouse kicks will disrupt Harrison's chaos from a distance and will provide the world champ with the opening to land his killing blow.
For Liam Harrison: aggression, toughness and power
If Nong-O Gaiyanghadao has to "box the brawler," Harrison, in turn, has to "brawl the boxer". What makes Nong-O so legendary is his ability to read his opponent's behavior and tendecies like a computer collecting data. Once he's figured you out, he'll know what to do three steps before you even think of making a move.
That being said, if Nong-O Gaiyanghadao is a computer collecting and processing data, then what Harrison needs to do is overload that computer. Harrison has to come in like a cyclone - throwing a lot of strikes from all angles. He needs to overwhelm the world champion with so much data that he won't have enough time and space to process everything coming his way.
Harrison needs to cut the Circle in half and take the center right away. He needs to make the Circle seem small for Nong-O and aggressively swarm him with attacks. He might get hit coming in, so he's going to have to rely on his toughness to land his shots. When he lands, he needs to land with absolute power.
For both: always be first
This bout boils down to who will get to impose his gameplan first. To do that, both need to be first and lead the dance. Both fighters won't be able to impose their games if they're largely defending the other's attacks.
Whoever gets to dictate the pace of the bout and make his opponent catch up to his game will most likely leave ONE on Prime Video 1 the champion. We'll just have to tune in on August 26 to find out.
