Bantamweight barnburner: Nong-O and Vladimir Kuzmin to throw down at ONE 166 in Qatar

Muay Thai legend Nong-O Hama hopes the second time is the charm when he makes his return at ONE 166: Qatar on March 1.

The former ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world champion has been on a comeback trail since dropping his crown to Jonathan Haggerty at ONE Fight Night 9 in April last year.

Unfortunately, his plans to return to the winner’s column hit a stumble as he fell to Scottish striker Nico Carrillo via second-round knockout at ONE Friday Fights 46 in December.

After making some adjustments in his training camp, the 'Art of Eight Limbs' specialist is prepared to fire his way to another crack at the crown he once possessed.

That mission will take place against Russian sensation Vladimir Kuzmin at the Lusail Sports Arena – which marks ONE’s debut in the region.

Although Nong-O has struggled to find form in recent appearances, nothing changes the fact that the 37-year-old striker is one of the best to ever do it.

However, it remains interesting to see whether or not the former divisional king has it in him to find the form that saw him go on a 10-fight winning streak on the global stage of ONE Championship.

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Kuzmin is out to make a statement against Nong-O

With over 300 bouts to his name, four Lumpinee Stadium Muay Thai world championships in multiple divisions, and a Rajadamnern Stadium world title, Nong-O certainly has enough experience in his armor to overcome whatever Kuzmin brings to the table.

But the 26-year-old from Russia is fired up to build off his impressive victory over Fabio Reis in November last year, and a win against the former divisional king is the perfect statement for him to earn a crack at Haggerty’s gold.

The Fight Club Archangel Michael affiliate debuted with a cracking win over Scotland’s Chris Shaw in February 2022 before going down to Muangthai and ‘The General’ later that year.

Nong-O will be another tough test, but it's one that he has been accustomed to before he joined the ONE roster.

ONE 166: Qatar will be available via pay-per-view on watch.onefc.com. Check your local listing for more details on the stacked bill.