Nong-O Hama, a former world champion in the bantamweight division of Muay Thai for ONE Championship, is getting back into fighting fitness and is almost there.
The striking icon has not competed since losing his world title to Jonathan Haggerty at ONE Fight Night 9 in April of this past year. The event took place in April. A rematch between the two fighters was scheduled to take place, but it was called off when the legend became ill with dengue fever, which may be fatal.
The Thai man, being the champion that he is, recovered in the shortest amount of time possible. During his fight against the viral infection, Nong-O received excellent medical care from a team of doctors and nurses. As a way to show his appreciation for their efforts, Nong-O decided to join a monastery in his home town.
The 36-year-old competitor, who fights out of Evolve MMA, is taking things one step at a time in spite of the setbacks and other situations that are beyond his control to ensure that he will be back to his old self when he competes again.
In an interview with South China Morning Post Martial Arts that took place while he was in attendance at ONE Friday Fights 34, the renowned boxer disclosed that he is only about 30 percent away from reaching his peak level of physical fitness.
In his words:
“I’m excited to get back into the swing of things. After I had finished my shift at the hospital, I traveled back to my hometown to complete the ordination required to become a monk. Now, my physical readiness is somewhere between seventy and eighty percent, and my mental readiness is one hundred percent thanks to my time spent in the monkhood in my hometown.
You can watch the interview at this link:
Nong-O has been a student of the game for his entire life, therefore he has no desire to hurry back into challenging waters. Taking things one step at a time is, in many cases, the most effective strategy for achieving one’s goals, so keep that in mind.
After keeping the bantamweight Muay Thai title for almost five years, it is only a matter of time before he racks up victories and is next in line to run it back against Haggerty. Having holding onto the title for almost five years, it is only a matter of time before he racks up victories.
At least for the time being, Haggerty will have plenty to do with his hands when he competes against Fabricio Andrade at ONE Fight Night 16 for the vacant bantamweight kickboxing strap.
On Friday, November 3, fans living in North America who have an active subscription to Amazon Prime Video will be able to see the complete card live during primetime in the United States.
