“His pops can still be a champion” – Nong-O wants to prove to his son that he has plenty left in the tank

Legendary Thai striker Nong-O Hama will return to action this week and he wants to show that he still has it to fight at a high level even in this late stage of his career, particularly to his son.

The 37-year-old superstar is featured at ONE Friday Fights 46 on December 22 at the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in a bantamweight Muay Thai clash against Nico Carrillo of Scotland.

It will be Nong-O’s first fight back since losing the ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world title to Jonathan Haggerty in April.

Speaking to ONE Championship in an interview, he said that apart from redeeming himself in his scheduled return, another motivation for him is to show that he is still a topnotch fighter who can compete with the best in the field.

Nong-O said:

“First, I want to show my son that his pops can still be a champion. Second, I want to prove to people that even if you're old, if you still take care of yourself, train and rest well enough, you can still stay in this profession.”

Nong-O lost the ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world title in devastating fashion, knocked out by Haggerty in the opening round. The defeat came after he successfully defended seven times the world title he won in 2019.

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Superbon sees a highly determined and improved Nong-O at ONE Friday Fights 46

Nong-O is coming into ONE Friday Fights 46 highly determined and much improved following a tough loss previously, his good friend and fellow Thai superstar fighter Superbon Singha Mawynn said.

He shared this in a recent interview with ONE Championship, highlighting how the Thai legend’s defeat at the hands of Jonathan Haggerty in April served as a wake-up call for Nong-O and how the latter used his time in the aftermath to re-sharpen his skills.

Superbon said:

“I believe in Nong-O. There’s no one left in his division who can fight him properly. He beat everyone in the division. He lost to Jonathan because he made a small mistake. A great motocross racer who fell once doesn't mean he'll forget how to ride. Nong-O is still great and he will come back greater because he now knows where his mistake is.”

But it is not only Nong-O who is out to redeem himself at ONE Friday Fights 46 as Superbon himself has some proving to do after he lost the ONE featherweight kickboxing world title in January to Chingiz Allazov.

The 33-year-old fighter will be gunning for the featherweight Muay Thai gold, challenging reigning champion Tawanchai PK Saenchai in the headlining contest for the event, which is ONE’s final show for the year.

To watch ONE Friday Fights 46 in your location, check your local listings or visit ONE Championship's official website. Fans in the United States and Canada, meanwhile, can catch ONE Friday Fights 46: Tawanchai vs. Superbon via pay-per-view on watch.onefc.com on December 22.