“The crowd was huge and supportive” - Nong-O shares his most memorable world title victory

Nong-O Hama has been involved in many championship matches in his long and distinguished career. He, however, considers one six years ago as special to him, where he truly felt the crowd was behind him.

The 38-year-old Evolve MMA standout spoke about it in a recent Ask Me Anything session on Reddit, hosted by ONE Championship. A fan asked him which among the title fights he was involved in was the most memorable for him.

Nong-O mentioned his defense of the ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world title against Japanese Hiroaki Suzuki at ONE: Warriors of Light at Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand, in May 2019, truly standing out.

He said:

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"The most memorable fight was my first title defense in Thailand against Hiroaki Suzuki. The crowd was huge and supportive, which made it really special for me."

Against Suzuki, Nong-O was taken to the full route of five rounds, but the Thai icon was on top of things on his way to the unanimous decision victory.

The win was the first of what turned out to be seven successful defenses by him of the ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world title.

Nong-O now longing to vie for flyweight world title

After dominating in the bantamweight Muay Thai lane, Nong-O Hama looks to have the same success now that he is competing in the flyweight division. He is hoping to get a world title shot in the 135-pound class very soon.

He made this known in an interview with ONE Championship ahead of his rematch with fellow Thai fighter Kongthoranee Sor Sommai at ONE Fight Night 31 on May 2 at the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

He said:

"I hope that if I can win impressively in this fight, I will have a shot for gold in the next fight."

In his first encounter against Kongthoranee back in February, Nong-O narrowly lost by split decision, spoiling his flyweight debut in ONE Championship.

ONE Fight Night 31 is available live at U.S. primetime to North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.

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Edited by Anurag Mitra