3 fighters who can steal the show at ONE Fight Night 9

April is here, which means ONE Fight Night 9: Nong-O vs. Haggerty on Prime Video is just right around the corner.

The fourth marquee card of ONE Championship this year will once again emanate from the legendary Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on February 21.

Amazon Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada can watch this entire card live in US primetime and free of charge.

Hometown hero Nong-O Hama will be headlining the festivities with the eighth defense of his ONE bantamweight Muay Thai crown.

Standing in his way, however, is a challenger who has also tasted gold before. Fifth-ranked bantamweight Muay Thai contender Jonathan Haggerty will look to silence an entire arena with a decisive victory.

‘The General’ will have his work cut out for him, though, against a seemingly indestructible force of nature. Nong-O is one of the most decorated world champions in combat sports, having won all 10 of his fights inside the circle. He also separated his last five challengers from their consciousness with terrifying knockouts.

While all eyes will certainly be on Nong-O, this card is littered with killers, all eager to showcase world-class performances. These are the three fighters you need to keep an eye on at ONE Fight Night 9:

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#3. Halil Amir (lightweight MMA)

Any fight involving Halil Amir is guaranteed must-see TV. The Turkish brutalizer brings forth a ridiculous “blink and you’ll miss it” type of power that only a few possess.

The undefeated lightweight, who has eight finishes in eight career victories, definitely punches above his weight class.

Timofey Nastyukhin learned this the hard way at ONE on Prime Video 2 last year. The Russian KO artist got a taste of his own medicine against the promotional newcomer, who came out guns blazing.

Amir ran through the former world title challenger without much resistance, hitting him with haymakers that could knock out an elephant.

The now fourth-ranked lightweight went for the jugular in round two, trapping Nastyukhin near the circle walls. He clipped the Raty gym standout with a hellacious left hand followed by several unanswered blows to the head for the TKO finish.

After a knockout win like that, It’s hard not to get hyped for Amir’s sophomore showing in the promotion. He’ll look to give the debuting Maurice Abevi a rude welcome at ONE Fight Night 9.

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#2. Denice Zamboanga (women’s atomweight MMA)

Back-to-back setbacks did not dampen Denice Zamboanga’s spirit, and she returned to winning ways against Lin Heqin at ONE on Prime Video 5 last year.

Fired up from the support she got from her hometown fans inside the Mall of Asia Arena, ‘The Menace’ put on a striking clinic against her dangerous Chinese foe. Zamboanga, who has gone 4-2 inside the circle, showed her best form yet, walking away with a close split decision victory.

Not one to rest on her laurels, the talented Filipina fighter continued her work behind closed doors alongside her brother and fellow ONE star Drex Zamboanga at TREX MMA.

Now, the 26-year-old can’t wait to showcase the new facets of her ever-evolving game in her first circle appearance of 2023.

Standing in her way will be Brazil’s Julie Mezabarba, who’s eager to break into the division’s top five with an upset win over the third-ranked contender.

Meanwhile, the women’s atomweight division seems open for the taking at the moment, with talks of a possible interim world title match happening soon. Zamboanga knows a decisive victory should rekindle his world title aspirations.

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#1. Jonathan Haggerty (bantamweight Muay Thai)

England’s Jonathan Haggerty has already played the role of a giant killer in the past.

Not many pundits gave him a chance against the mighty Sam-A Gaiyanghadao at ONE: For Honor back in 2021. After all, beating the Thai wrecking machine is a tall order for anyone, especially for someone making his promotional debut.

‘The General’, though, tuned out the outside noise and put on a five-round Muay Thai mastery to dethrone his heavily favored opponent.

Almost four years later, the fearless Brit is once again tasked to slay another monster from Thailand with no perceived weaknesses.

Nong-O Hama has exuded greatness since joining ONE Championship, ruling the bantamweight Muay Thai ranks with an iron fist. He has gone 10-0 in the promotion while finishing his last five opponents via merciless knockouts.

Then again, Haggerty lives for these kinds of moments. The 26-year-old will be public enemy number one at Lumpinee Stadium, but he certainly won’t mind.

The former flyweight Muay Thai king has sights on two-division supremacy and will stop at nothing to achieve his goal.

Needless to say, Haggerty will be in for the fight of his life at ONE Fight Night 9.