ONE Championship continues to announce huge fights for upcoming cards. On Thursday, the promotion set a monster ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Championship clash for ONE Fight Night 9 on Friday, April 21. Reigning king and Thai icon Nong-O Hama, previously Nong-O Gaiyanghadao, defends his throne against Jonathan Haggerty.
Haggerty is bringing momentum into his latest title bid. The former ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion is on a four-bout win streak and has recently moved up to the bantamweight division. In his last outing, Haggerty defeated Vladimir Kuzmin in a catchweight bout at ONE on Prime Video 4 and won by majority decision.
But he is facing a substantial challenge in Nong-O. Since returning to the sport in 2018, the Thai star is a perfect 10-0. The bad news for his opponents is that he has gotten even more dangerous with each passing bout, and he is currently on a five-bout knockout streak. He is coming off a brilliant knockout performance against Alaverdi Ramazanov at ONE Friday Fights 1. The upcoming matchup against the Brit will be his eighth title defense.
Nong-O has shown his ability to be a destroyer in four-ounce gloves. The accuracy and power have allowed his boxing to put his opponents down and out, but his kicks are just as dangerous. However, Haggerty is promising to showcase a new version of himself against the reigning king.
The former flyweight felt depleted at that weight class and believes bantamweight will allow him to be fresh inside the ring. Without being drained, Haggerty expects to be a harder hitter and have the speed to give everyone in the division problems. Those thoughts will be tested to the highest degree against Nong-O.
ONE Fight Night 9 will take place at Lumpinee Stadium on Friday, April 21. The action begins on Prime Video at 8 p.m. EST/5 p.m. PST. The event is free to all Amazon Prime members in the U.S. and Canada.
