‘This Rematch Won’t Be The Same’ – Nong-O Vows More Aggression Against Kongthoranee At ONE Fight Night 31

After his first fight with Kongthoranee Sor Sommai left some questions unanswered, former longtime ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion Nong-O Hama is determined to deliver a definitive performance in their flyweight Muay Thai rematch at ONE Fight Night 31 on Prime Video.

That high-stakes clash will air live in U.S. primetime on Friday, May 2, from the iconic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

Their first encounter took place in February at ONE Fight Night 28. That night, Nong-O looked solid and well-prepared for his hotly anticipated flyweight debut, but he ultimately dropped a narrow split decision to #3-ranked Kongthoranee.

Regardless of who emerges victorious in the rematch, the 38-year-old veteran vows to fight more aggressively.

Nong-O told onefc.com:

“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.”

Despite moving down 10 pounds in weight, the former bantamweight king believes his power remains just as dangerous.

Considering that five of Nong-O’s last six victories came by way of knockout, that’s a scary proposition for the flyweight Muay Thai division:

“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.”

Nong-O said that in his first battle with Kongthoranee, he was still finding his footing at flyweight and was uncharacteristically gunshy.

Now that he’s comfortable in his new division, he plans to turn up the heat, hunt for the finish, and erase any doubts:

“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.”

Nong-O Describes What Went Wrong In First Fight

Although he was disappointed to lose a decision, Nong-O Hama gathered plenty of useful information in his first showdown with Kongthoranee Sor Sommai.

He said his speed and power felt great but admitted he was concerned about his cardio over the course of three fast-paced rounds:

“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.”

With that concern running through his head, the iconic fighter held back some of his strikes.

He still thinks he has the right strategy to defeat a younger star in Kongthoranee, but he knows he’ll have to put forth a stronger, more confident performance at ONE Fight Night 31:

“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.”

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