After three impressive victories on the ONE Friday Fights series, Kiamran Nabati will be looking to score his biggest win yet when he meets former ONE world champion Nong-O Hama this Friday.
Making his promotional debut last September, Nabati delivered a dominant showing against Pongsiri PK Saenchai. He followed that up with a win over Avatar PK Saenchai and Suablack Tor Pran49, the latter earning him a six-figure contract with the promotion.
Now, he'll attempt to use that built-up momentum to thrust himself into the bantamweight Muay Thai division's top five when he meets Nong-O at ONE Friday Fights 81 inside the legendary Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
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Looking back on his contract-winning first-round knockout against Suablack during a recent interview with the promotion, Kiamran Nabati said:
"[Getting the contract] is a huge motivation, and I also feel like I deserved it."
Overall, the 29-year-old Russian sensation is a perfect 21-0 in his Muay Thai career. He'll look to make it 22 in a row at ONE Friday Fights 81, but that will be no easy task as he meets one of the most accomplished strikers in the art of eight limbs.
Nong-O hopes to keep Kiamran Nabati out of bantamweight top five
While Kiamran Nabati is attempting to fight his way into the bantamweight Muay Thai rankings this Friday, Nong-O will be vying to keep his spot as the third-ranked contender in the division.
At one point, Nong-O was sitting on a 10-fight win streak under the ONE banner. However, that came to a crashing halt at ONE Fight Night 9 last year when he suffered a first-round knockout against reigning ONE bantamweight kickboxing king Jonathan Haggerty. He followed that up with another KO loss against rising Scottish star Nico Carrillo.
Since then, the 266-win veteran has bounced back with a solid showing against Kulabdam Sor Jor Piek Uthai in April. Will Nong-O make it two-in-a-row inside the Mecca of Muay Thai, or will Nabati thrust himself into the bantamweight top five?
ONE Friday Fights 81 will air live and exclusively on pay-per-view on Friday, Sept. 27 at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. You can purchase the event exclusively on the official ONE Championship website.