ONE Championship: “Become a champion again before I retire” - Nong-O explains what fuels his career renaissance at flyweight

At this stage in his legendary career, Nong-O Hama could’ve walked away with his legacy fully intact. But instead of riding off into retirement, he dropped down to flyweight and found a second wind.

After a long reign as ONE bantamweight Muay Thai king, Nong-O’s recent move down a division has breathed new life into his career. He stumbled in his first flyweight bout, but now that he has regained his footing, he is looking towards dominating this division.

It doesn't matter who ONE Championship puts in front of him - he'll gave to go through them all anyway if he wants to get to the top. Speaking with the South China Morning Post, he said:

"Well, I really do not have the name, but one thing that has been in my head is that I really want to become a champion again before I retire. So that's the number one thing that I've been thinking about."

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At 38, he’s seen it all and fought the best. But the fire still burns, with that sense of unfinished business pushing him forward. And if all goes to plan, we'll see Nong-O back at the top sooner or later.

Watch the full interview below:

Nong-O says he’ll let his fists do the talking, tells critics to keep watching his greatness

Nong-O’s been around long enough to know that critics will always talk. Back at bantamweight, some questioned if his best days were behind him. But his dominant win at ONE Fight Night 31 was a reminder that he’s still got plenty left in the tank.

"No, I don't really want to say anything," he said. "I just want them to keep their eyes on me and just look at what I can do."

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About the author

Charlene is a MMA writer with 5 years of experience writing content in various formats. She inadvertently fell into the rabbit hole of MMA after she (begrudgingly) joined her friend for a class and ended up enjoying it far beyond her expectations. She has a Bachelor's degree in Psychology and once dreamed of becoming a sports doctor before she found her true calling in writing.

She has ghostwritten for various health, fitness, and martial arts businesses. Despite the busyness of her day-to-day, she occasionally finds the time to practice Boxing and Muay Thai at home with her coach/husband and their many cats as their rapt audience.

She has organized a few local MMA events and aspires to establish her own little gym someday.

Outside of work, Charlene enjoys books, video games, and anime.

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Edited by Tejas Rathi