As ONE Championship continues its first year packed with primetime events in the United States and prepares to hold its first event in the United States in May, fans in the region can expect to see even more organization’s Muay Thai superstars.
These include ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion Nong-O Hama, who has been one of Asia’s biggest stars in combat sports for nearly two decades.
The Thai legend will next defend his gold medal against Jonathan Haggerty on ONE Fight Night 9 on April 22, but in the meantime he has brought his talents to Canada, where he has taught Muay Thai seminars in four cities.
It was a unique experience for the 36-year-old striker, who was visiting the North American region for the first time.
He flew to Calgary, Vancouver, Ottawa and Toronto, while the entire session included work ranging from cardiovascular to various techniques, as well as one-on-one sparring opportunities with the Muay Thai icon.
For Nong-O, it was also an opportunity to see a growing interest in “the art of eight limbs” abroad, which he is very proud of.
He told ONEFC.com/id:
“It’s been a great trip, because they’re here eager to learn more about our sport. They are very friendly, they like to work hard and they love Muay Thai.
This visit was also an interesting introduction for those who attended each of the seminars.
After all, Nong-O is one of the greatest Muay Thai competitors in history, and he takes the time to answer questions, take photos, and teach techniques. striking which is more refined for students at these different levels.
This personal approach was highly appreciated by the gyms that hosted him, as they praised the Evolve representative. Additionally, they see this visit as an opportunity to further advance the “Art of Eight Limbs” in North America.
“It’s just a special experience to share with our community. Not many people get the chance to fly to Thailand or other parts of the world to train with the superstars of this sport.
“With hard work and coordination, we were able to collaborate with various gyms in Canada and those in our community, and were able to propel Muay Thai forward with the help of Nong-O.”
“If they can learn one thing from these seminars, it’s very beneficial for them – and it helps the sport to develop even more.”
Tony Manoharan, Head Coach of Diamond Muay Thai + Boxing Toronto
Nong-O praises Haggerty ahead of world championship
Now, back in Thailand after his seminar in Canada, Nong-O Hama is busy preparing for the eighth title defense of his ONE Muay Thai bantamweight world title belt.
The Thai is undefeated since joining ONE Championship, and he seems to be improving with each appearance, with incredible knockouts in his last five fights.
The next action will be against former ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion Jonathan Haggerty, and Nong-O isn’t taking this fight lightly:
“I’ve had my eye on Haggerty for a while, ever since his World Championship fight against Rodtang. He is very skilled and uses many different Muay Thai techniques.
“The main thing I noticed is that he uses a lot of elbows, especially elbow turning backso I have to be careful about that.
The Muay Thai bantamweight ruler certainly has reason to be confident, given his impressive feats, but he knows his next challenger is quite dangerous.
After all, the 26-year-old Haggerty has vowed to punch harder than ever and demonstrate new levels of knockout power after moving up to a heavier weight division.
With that in mind, Nong-O provides a quick description of how the British superstar differs from any other striker he’s faced in ONE:
“He is young (laughs) and he is strong. Then I have to be ready.
“Amateur problem solver. Hipster-friendly alcohol lover. Beer buff. Infuriatingly humble tv geek.”
