“It motivated me to work harder” - Kongthoranee reveals he took a lot of flak in close split decision win over Nong-O

Kongthoranee Sor Sommai is admittedly not satisfied by his too-close-for-comfort split decision victory over the legendary Nong-O Hama at ONE Fight Night 28 last February.

Adding to the 28-year-old Thai's woes were Nong-O's fans, who didn't pull back on criticism, claiming he didn't deserve to get his hand raised.

While peeved by the unjust backlash, Kongthoranee says he'll simply use it as motivation to put on a more empathic performance when they run it back in two weeks.

In an exclusive ONE Championship interview, the third-ranked flyweight Muay Thai contender said:

“After I received a lot of trash messages, it motivated me to work harder so that no one would think negatively of me anymore."

Kongthoranee and Nong-O's highly-requested rematch will headline ONE Fight Night 31 on May 2 inside the fabled grounds of Bangkok's iconic Lumpinee Stadium.

The first match between these two master tacticians was truly a striking masterclass that could have gone either way. Nong-O got the better of the exchanges early on, while his younger compatriot seemed to dictate the action as the match progressed.

It was indeed a tough match to score for the judges, given how evenly matched these two were.

For sure, both Thai warriors will seek a more decisive finish to erase all doubts at ONE Fight Night 31: Kongthoranee vs. Nong-O II on Prime Video.

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Nong-O admits he could have performed better in flyweight debut vs. Kongthoranee

Nong-O looked incredible in his first foray in ONE's 135-pound Muay Thai division. His punches appeared sharper while retaining his explosive power.

The former bantamweight Muay Thai world champion, however, admitted he's still getting used to fighting in his new weight class and will make the necessary adjustments in their re-do.

During his interview with ONE, the Evolve MMA representative said:

“I’m happy with my game plan, but I still felt uncomfortable, and I still couldn’t throw my weapons naturally. As I said, I haven’t fought in this division in a long time. So I can’t say that was my best performance.”

Prime Video subscribers in North America can watch ONE Fight Night 31 live in US Primetime.