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Thai legend Nong-O Hama had a dominant run as ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world champion from 2019 to 2023. It included an impressive title defense against Brazilian star Felipe Lobo.
The title showdown took place at ONE X in March 2022 in Singapore, where Nong-O was making his fifth defense of the bantamweight gold since winning it in 2019.
Nong-O found himself in a battle against 'The Demolition Man' right at the onset. They went back-and-forth in the opening three rounds and each had their moments.
Midway in the third round, Lobo tried to pick up the pace with his attacks only to find himself on the receiving end of a nifty and devastating uppercut from his Thai opponent that instantly dropped him to the canvas.
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He tried to beat the count but was obviously in no shape to continue after, forcing the referee to wave off the match at the 2:15 mark of the frame.
ONE Championship recently relived the epic clash in a video post on its official YouTube channel.
Check out the video post below:
Nong-O successfully defended the bantamweight Muay Thai world title two more times after beating Lobo before losing the belt to Jonathan Haggerty in April 2023 by KO in the opening round.
He is looking to become world champion again but this time at flyweight at ONE 173: Superbon vs Noiri on Nov. 16 at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan. There he will battle former flyweight king Rodtang Jitmuangnon for the vacant belt.
Nong-O says Rodtang fight at ONE 173 among his biggest
Nong-O is no stranger to big fights but considers his scheduled clash against Rodtang for the vacant flyweight Muay Thai belt as among his biggest in his illustrious career.
He spoke about it in a pre-fight interview with ONE Championship, highlighting the world title setting in Japan as making it all the more significant.
The veteran Thai fighter said:
"This fight is actually a huge one. The biggest one I have ever fought in, and I get to go to Japan."
Nong-O enters ONE 173 off a convincing decision win over fellow Thai fighter Kongthoranee Sor Sommai in his last match in May.
Tickets for ONE 173: Superbon vs. Noiri are available via ePlus in Japan. For more information and updates on the event, follow Sportskeeda MMA and ONE Championship.
