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During Nico Carrillo’s rise from prospect to legitimate title challenger, Nong-O Hama sat dominantly at the top of the bantamweight Muay Thai division.
The rising contender met the former king of the weight class at ONE Friday Fights 46 on December 22. At the final event of 2023, ‘King of the North’ solidified his status as the next challenger in line for a shot at the belt by taking out the Thai legend in the second round.
Both competitors were incredibly respectful towards one another throughout the entire process, which is no surprise given the legend status that the former champion holds in this game.
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As a result, Nong-O had nothing but positive things to say about his opponent before and after the contest despite finding himself on the receiving end of back-to-back knockout losses.
He told ONE Championship that Carrillo made an effort to show his respect ahead of the contest, which allowed him to repay the favor:
“Before the game, I had the opportunity to meet Nico at the hotel. He was the one who came to say hello. Hello, I'm always here. He's a kid who knows respect. He is a very good fighter. He always respects me. Because when he started practicing boxing He also watched me fight regularly. When he bowed down to worship me on stage I told him that you were very nice. And I respect him as well.”
Nong-O will look to bounce back in 2024
2023 was a difficult year for Nong-O Hama but he now has the ability to shape what he takes from the previous 12 months by making a return in 2024.
The dominant champion saw his reign come to an end at the hands of Jonathan Haggerty, and his loss to Nico Carrillo has pushed him temporarily out of the title picture.
Given his reputation in the sport, it won’t take much for the former champ to be back in the mix if he can get a couple of wins under his belt in the near future.
His consecutive losses have not resulted in a lack of focus or confidence that he will return to the top of the bantamweight division for a second world championship reign.
ONE fans who missed or want to relive any of the action from ONE Friday Fights 46 can catch the full event replay on-demand via watch.onefc.com
