Muay Thai legend Nong-O on why he prefers to face fellow Thais: “I can guess their styles”

If given the option, Nong-O Hama, the former ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world champion, would always prefer to fight against a Thai opponent rather than a foreign one.

During his latest interview with Sportsmanor’s YouTube channel, he shared the main reasons behind his point.

The Thai icon, who is 37 years old, elaborated:

“The comparison between Thai fighters and foreign fighters, they are different, of course, in terms of physicality and style of fighting. Although I haven’t been fighting with any Thai for three years, but before that I’ve been familiar with Thai fighters. So I feel fighting with Thai fighters would be a lot easier because I can guess their styles.”

Despite successfully defeating numerous foreign challengers such as Hiroaki Suzuki, Felipe Lobo, Liam Harrison, and Alaverdi Ramazanov during his reign as the undisputed champion of the division for nearly five years, Nong-O’s fighting style still leans towards favoring his Thai opponents.

The representative from Evolve MMA is in the final stages of preparing for his upcoming match against Kulabdam Sor Jor Piek Uthai on April 5 at the renowned Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, as part of ONE Friday Fights 58.

Nong-O predicts a closely-matched fight against Kulabdam in terms of style and physicality

At ONE Friday Fights 46 in December 2023, Nong-O’s opponent was Nico Carrillo, with whom he had to adjust to due to their contrasting styles and height difference. But now, he will have a more familiar opponent, a fellow Thai who is nearly the same height as him.

Nong-O’s goal is to achieve a resounding triumph against the ‘Left Meteorite’ and make a final push for the championship before officially retiring from the sport.

ONE Friday Fights 58 will be released on April 5 and can be accessed through the ONE Super App, the official ONE Championship YouTube channel, and other digital platforms. Please refer to your local listing for additional information.