On 22 December 2023, ONE Championship, an internationally renowned sports IP, will host Friday Night 46 at Lumpinee Arena, where former Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion Nong-O Hama will return to the Circle against rising star Nico Carrillo, who is ranked No. 5 in the bantamweight division.
As a former champion and current No. 1 in the bantamweight rankings, Nong-O knows the significance of this return bout will mean a lot, and the 37-year-old will need to prove that he can't beat the best of the world even though his career is not yet at the end of his career. Nong-O has won 10 straight bouts and defended his World Title seven times since entering ONE Championship in 2018. But in April's "ONE: Pinnacle Series 9," Nong-O lost to bantamweight-promoted Jonathan "The General" Haggerty, losing the Bantamweight Muay Thai World Title to three first-round knockouts. The defeat disappointed many fans, and some even thought it was time for Nong-O to retire. Nong-O wants to prove that he is still the most competitive fighter in the bantamweight division and deserves the No. 1 spot in the bantamweight Muay Thai rankings!" These insults made me determined to win the game. I'm going to prove to them that even though I'm not young, I'm still strong and hungry for victory. ”
In April, the 25-year-old stepped onto the ONE Friday Prime Video 13 Circle, where he used a combination of punches and elbows to win a 350,000-baht performance bonus by TKO Furkan Karabag. Two months later, at ONE Friday Fight Night 22, Carrillo knocked out Muangthai "Zombie Elbow" PK Saenchai three times with a stormy attack to earn another 350,000 baht performance bonus. Nong-O knows that his opponent is very dangerous, and he wants to use his experience to win: "I have to be careful with Carrillo's attacks because he attacks very hard. I'm going to focus more on dodging and defending. I don't want to go straight to him. But if I see an opportunity, I'll knock my opponent down. ”
Nong-O will adjust himself to the best and prove with a win that he's ready to get revenge on Haggerty.
"My goal is to get my belt back. Because everyone is talking about Haggerty, they've forgotten that I was once ONE's eight-time Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion. For Nong-O to get his revenge on Haggerty, he must first beat the young rising star from Scotland and prove that he deserves the right to challenge. "I'm a fighter. I don't have the right to choose who I want to fight. I can fight anyone in this division, but the important thing is that I want to take the belt back!"
Carrillo used two victories and two performance bonuses to move himself to the fifth spot in the bantamweight Muay Thai rankings. For Carrillo, defeating the divisional No. 1 Muay Thai legend means a lot to his career. He wants to make a splash at Lumpinee Arena. "Nong-O is the one who stands in my way. I think I'm more careful this time, but I'm sure I'm going to have the upper hand in the game, and when I'm nervous and cautious enough in the ring, that's when I'm most dangerous!"
Who do you think will be able to raise the arm of victory?