“The king will return” – Nong-O says he’ll ‘try his best’ to regain bantamweight Muay Thai crown

He may be staring down the barrel of back-to-back losses, but former ONE world champion Nong-O Hama has no intentions of giving up on his goal of once again strapping 26 pounds of gold around his waist in 2024.

After surrendering the ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world championship following a first-round knockout loss to Jonathan Haggerty in April, Nong-O looked to bounce back against Scottish striking sensation Nico Carrillo at ONE Friday Fights 46.

Things were going well for the Thai superstar in the opening round as he lit up the ‘King of the North’ with a series of ferocious leg kicks.

It looked as though it was just a matter of time before Carrillo would go down for the count. Instead, the Scot shocked everyone inside the legendary Lumpinee Boxing Stadium when he blasted Nong-O with a brutal knee, sending him crashing to the canvas and down for the count.

Speaking with ONE Championship following his second-straight defeat in Bangkok, Thailand, the Thai has every intention of bouncing back in the new year and returning to his throne.

“I will definitely keep fighting,” he said.”My only goal is to come back and claim the world title. It might be difficult but I'll try my best. See you next time. The king will return.”

With his win over Nong-O, is Jonathan Haggerty the next stop for Nico Carrillo?

With Nong-O now firmly out of the Muay Thai title picture, for now, much of the focus will turn to rising contender Nico Carrillo.

Backed by three wins in a row under the ONE Championship banner, Carrillo is by all accounts the next man in line to challenge Jonathan Haggerty for the bantamweight belt in the art of eight limbs.

Haggerty closed out his 2023 by defeating bantamweight MMA titleholder Fabricio Andrade to claim the vacant bantamweight kickboxing crown, becoming a two-sport ONE world champion in the process.

With Haggerty slated to defend his Muay Thai title next, is Nico Carrillo the man that should be standing across from him?

If you missed any of the action or want to relive an epic night in ONE Championship history, the ONE Friday Fights 46 replay can be watched on demand via watch.onefc.com.