Nong-O Hama made his flyweight debut at ONE Fight Night 28 in February against Kongthoranee Sor Sommai. Although the result did not go his way on that night, he will get a chance to flip the script. On Friday, May 2, Nong-O meets Kongthoranee in the main event of ONE Fight Night 31.
Nong-O Hama Ready For Revenge in Kongthoranee Rematch May 2
Nong-O may not have won the first match, but he did prove any doubters wrong. He came in on weight in his ONE Championship flyweight debut and performed well. Now that he is more acclimated to his new division, he expects an even better performance.
“I promise that this rematch won’t be the same. I want everyone to see a decisive win or loss. If I lose, it will be a loss that ends any doubts or arguments. In this fight, I will stick to my old fighting style, but I will throw my weapons more often,” Nong-O commented to ONE.
Nong-O Eager To Bring Fireworks to ONE Fight Night 31 vs. Kongthoranee
The Thai superstar believes he will still hold at least one major advantage over his compatriot. Nong-O has full faith in his power. After many highlight-reel finishes, he expects to add to that reel at flyweight.
“I am still confident that my destructive power is superior to his because I used to compete in heavier weight classes. I asked my trainer this question, and he said that I am faster but my power is also still as hard as ever,” the Thai icon said.
Entering fully confident he can get his hand raised, Nong-O is promising an active main event. The Thai striker is comfortable at flyweight and plans to go right at Kongthoranee. If the flyweight scrap is contested at that pace, the show should come to an explosive end.
“In this fight, I will definitely fight aggressively. In our first fight, I was trying to get used to [flyweight] because I hadn’t fought in this division for a long time. But now, I know I can do it. I predict this fight will end with a clear result. It would be better if it ended with a knockout, not a decision, so that there would be solid evidence and no controversy later,” the legendary striker stated.
Nong-O Not Concerned About Drops in Energy
In his later years and after dropping a division, Nong-O’s biggest concern was his cardio. Now he feels like he can easily go the distance without losing his output. Only time will tell if he is right in his assessment.
“In the flyweight division, I feel like I’m more agile, faster, and more dynamic, while my power is not diminished. But I hadn’t competed in this division in a long time, so I was worried that I might run out of gas in the final rounds,” Nong-O stated.
Nong-O assures everyone that a better showing awaits in his next flyweight matchup. With his confidence building, this rematch has all the makings of an exciting collision between two eras. All that awaits is the bell to ring to find out who will emerge as a flyweight title hopeful in the back half of 2025.
“I’m happy with my game plan, but I still felt uncomfortable, and I still couldn’t throw my weapons naturally. As I said, I haven’t fought in this division in a long time. So I can’t say that was my best performance,” Nong-O said.
ONE Fight Night 31 airs live on Prime Video on Friday, May 2. The action begins at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. The event is free for all Amazon Prime subscribers in the U.S. and Canada.
