Nong-O Is Rebuilding His Arsenal For One Last Shot At Greatness
Most fighters at 39 are winding down. Nong-O Hama is sharpening his weapons.
The Thai icon arrives at ONE Friday Fights 147 this Friday, March 20, at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok with a singular purpose: to claim the vacant ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Title against undefeated 22-year-old Russian phenom Asadula Imangazaliev and become a two-division ONE World Champion.
It is the latest chapter in a career that has already produced almost everything the sport can offer. A former eight-time ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion, four-division Lumpinee Stadium champion, and Rajadamnern Stadium champion, Nong-O has spent nearly two decades at the summit of the sport. After losing his bantamweight title to Jonathan Haggerty, he made the calculated decision to drop to flyweight and chase gold again.
The move has reinvigorated him. Faster on his feet, sharper in his thinking, and competing against opponents closer to his natural size, the Superbon Training Camp representative has rediscovered the hunger that defined his prime years.
“Since dropping down to the flyweight division, I feel much more agile,” he said. “Even as I approach 40, my mindset hasn’t changed. I’m just as hungry and focused as I’ve ever been. My heart and body are 100 percent ready.”
The road to this title shot has not been without its lessons. A split-decision loss to Kongthoranee Sor Sommai at ONE Fight Night 28 forced a hard look in the mirror, and Nong-O returned to the gym to retool. He avenged that defeat by unanimous decision at ONE Fight Night 31, but even in victory recognized a specific weakness — his striking power at the lower weight class had not yet caught up with his technique.
He spent the entire camp between then and now correcting it.
“After my first two fights at flyweight, I realized I needed to work on the impact of my strikes,” he said. “I needed more power in my punches and kicks. I’ve been focusing heavily on strengthening those weapons for this camp.”
A planned title fight with Rodtang Jitmuangnon at ONE 173 in Tokyo fell through at the eleventh hour, but Nong-O never stopped training. He stayed sharp and waited.
“After returning from Japan, I stayed in the gym and kept my body moving, just waiting for the call. I do this because I truly love Muay Thai. This is my life,” he said.
The wait is over. The gold is within reach. And Nong-O has never been more ready.
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