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Kongthoranee dreams of one day having 26 pounds of ONE Championship gold draped over his shoulder. Thus far, the 28-year-old Thai star has looked nothing short of spectacular inside the Circle, building a solid 11-2 record, including big wins over Jaosuayai, Tagir Khalilov, and Nakrob Fairtex.
However, it was his win over former eight-time ONE world titleholder Nong-O Hama in February that showed the world that Kongthoranee was ready for the next level of competition.
This Friday, May 2, Kongthoranee will look to show the world once again when he runs it back with Nong-O at ONE Fight Night 31, emanating from the iconic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
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With a second straight win over one of the P4P best Muay Thai fighters of all time, Kongthoranee believes it will put him that much closer to one day fighting for a ONE world title. While detailing his championship aspirations, Kongthoranee told ONE:
"It would make me proud of myself. So I'm very, like, keen on, like, in the future, to have that belt on my shoulder."
Kongthoranee aiming for knockout against Nong-O at ONE Fight Night 31
While Kongthoranee already holds a win over Nong-O, the victory came with a hint of controversy as only two of the three judges saw the fight in his favor. Now, Kongthoranee is determined to leave the judges out of it and deliver a much more definitive victory against one of the best in the world.
"Well, you know, since you have already mentioned the knockout, I guess I have to go for a knockout. Because I don't want the scores. I want the clear cut."
With highlight-reel knockouts against Gingsanglek and Parsa Aminpour on martial arts' biggest global stage, Konthoranee has already proven himself capable of finishing things impressively. But can he do it against one of the most accomplished strikers in Muay Thai history? We'll find out this Friday night.
ONE Fight Night 31 will air live on Amazon Prime Video in the United States and Canada in U.S. primetime on Friday, May 2.
