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Muay Thai icon Nong-O Hama promises to dish out a striking clinic for his next assignment, but he plans to do so with extra caution, given his dance partner's penchant to switch the lights off.
The former ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world champion enters this fight with his back against the wall after one of his toughest years as a competitor at the top of the striking mountain.
For years, the Evolve MMA athlete seemed like an immortal force. With a 10-0 run against the greatest assortment of strikers in the promotion, there's no surprise why.
Unfortunately, 2023 was a different chapter altogether. The multi-time Lumpinee Stadium and Rajadamnern Stadium world champion dropped his crown to Jonathan Haggerty at ONE Fight Night 9 in April before suffering another setback to Scottish powerhouse Nico Carrillo in December.
With those losses playing at the top of his mind, Nong-O has carefully assessed what his upcoming rival, Kulabdam Sor Jor Piek Uthai, brings to the table when their bantamweight Muay Thai contest gets underway at ONE Friday Fights 58.
Speaking to ONE Championship, the Muay Thai specialist said:
"For this fight, I know my opponent has a good punch. So I focused on protecting myself from his punches."
Nong-O should have it in him to return to winning ways against Kulabdam
As someone who has been at the very top of the sport for two decades, Nong-O brings a wealth of experience over Kulabdam in their April 5 tilt.
Should the Sor Jor Piek Uthai upstart assume that his rival's past two losses would make it easier for him to slide in his biggest career win, he'd be badly mistaken.
Nong-O's fight IQ, knockout power, and gas tank have never faded away, and at 37 years of age, the martial arts legend remains confident that he's at the peak of his powers to secure a win next month and inch closer to a shot at redemption against Haggerty.
ONE Friday Fights 58 will broadcast live in Asia primetime on April 5. The action will be available on the ONE Championship YouTube channel and the ONE Super App.
