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There were practically two versions of Nong-O Hama during his first 10 fights in ONE Championship.
The first was a calculated killer who methodically broke down his opponents, while the second was a marauding monster who took the soul out of his opposition.
Nong-O, however, realized that the second approach also contributed to his downfall.
In an interview with Sportsmanor, the former ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world champion described how his aggressive style left him vulnerable to the counter.
The Thai icon ultimately reverted to his old approach when he beat Kulabdam Sor Jor Piek Uthai via unanimous decision at ONE Friday Fights 58.
"I feel my game plan before was just to try and go out there and knock my opponents [out], go forward, and pressure. But I forgot my original style is more of a technical fighter. I use my fight IQ and my ability to change my game plan in the ring a lot. So in this fight, I thought a lot about that original style, and I'm glad it got me through," said the Muay Thai legend.
Nong-O completely dissected Kulabdam in their April 2024 matchup, and how he fought was highly reminiscent of his first five wins in ONE Championship.
Although he wasn't knocking people out, Nong-O used his superior IQ to chalk up five straight decision wins from 2018 to 2019. He then changed his style to become more aggressive, and that shift led to five straight knockout wins from 2019 to 2023.
Nong-O, however, fell victim to his bravado when he lost via knockout to Jonathan Haggerty and Nico Carrillo.
Nong-O says his approach against Kulabdam was his "original style"
There's no denying that Nong-O is one of the greatest Muay Thai fighters ever, and he achieved that distinction through methodical means.
Nong-O is one of the most technical fighters of all time, and the game plan he used against Kulabdam at ONE Friday Fights 58 was a callback to his roots.
"What you saw is my original style, me at my best. Also my game plan as well. You can see the confidence is coming back because I decided to stick to my original style."
Watch Nong-O's entire interview below:
