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ONE bantamweight world champion Nong-O Gaiyanghadao is a master of Muay Thai. The 36-year-old dominant champion is one of the most experienced and decorated competitors in the sport and that’s down to his skillset and his ability to consistently improve and evolve.
One of the ways that he has had to adjust his game over the years is due to the size of the gloves. One of the key differences between kickboxing and Muay Thai is the gloves themselves, which completely changes a fighter's offense and defense.
In an interview with ONE Championship, Nong-O spoke about how this one change affects his preparations and performances:
“In ONE, we fight with smaller gloves. When I fight in Thailand, I wear big boxing gloves. So I have to change my style to match with ONE’s rules. Since you wear small gloves, you can finish your opponents faster with the punch. So, I started to focus more to improve power in the punch and utilize them to finish the opponent apart from other weapons like kicks and elbows.”
At ONE Friday Fights 1 this weekend, Nong-O Gaiyanghadao will look to defend his world championship against Russia’s Alaverdi Ramazanov. The event will kick off a series of events hosted by the promotion at the iconic Lumpinee Stadium in Thailand.
WATCH: Nong-O Gaiyanghadao sweeps Trainer Gae with low kick
Being the trainer of a world-class Muay Thai striker like Nong-O Gaiyanghadao comes with its occupational risks.
At ONE Friday Fights 1 on January 20, Nong-O will defend his bantamweight Muay Thai world championship in the main event against Russia’s Alaverdi Ramazanov. In preparation for his next fight, Nong-O has been training out of Khun Suek Muay Thai under the legendary coach Trainer Gae.
Whilst the stories of Trainer Gae pushing his fights are notorious, it was the coach on this occasion that was on the wrong end of a pad session.
Following up a body kick with a right leg kick, Nong-O took his coach's legs out from underneath him, dropping him to the floor.
Check out the clip below and make sure to have the sound on for the full effect:
As well as being under the tutelage of Trainer Gae, Nong-O has been spending time in the gym alongside former ONE featherweight kickboxing world champion Superbon Singha Mawynn and current bantamweight kickboxing champ Petchtanong Petchfergus.
Showing his dedication to pushing himself even further than before, surrounding himself with elite fighters and coaches will undeniably help Nong-O Gaiyanghadao in his preparations.
His opponent, Alaverdi Ramazanov has proven that he cannot be underestimated, even by a fighter of Nong-O’s legendary status. The Russian comes into the fight off of the back of two impressive wins over Pongsiri PK.Saenchai and Capitan Petchyindee.
