Nong-O Gaiyanghadao impressed by Liam Harrison’s commitment to improving his skills

ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world champion Nong-O Gaiyanghadao is approaching his ninth appearance in the circle. With a perfect record of 8-0 under the ONE Championship banner, Nong-O will face one of the promotion’s most dangerous strikers in Liam ‘Hitman’ Harrison.

The two warriors will co-main event the highly anticipated ONE on Prime Video 1 card, which is scheduled to go down at U.S. primetime on August 26.

Harrison, currently sitting as the division’s No.5-ranked contender, famously earned his title opportunity following a comeback for the ages at ONE 156 in April. Facing Muangthai PK.Saenchai, ‘Hitman’ rallied back from two quick knockdowns to put away Muangthai in the first round, pocketing a cool $100,000 bonus in the process.

Ahead of their showdown, Nong-O Gaiyanghadao spoke to ONE Championship about his opponent. When asked what he believes has made Harrison so successful in his Muay Thai career, Nong-O said:

“Liam is committed to learning Muay Thai. I’ve learned that every time he has a fight, he will fly to Thailand to learn and practice more Muay Thai techniques. I think [the reason] he can climb to this point, that’s because of his great efforts.”

Nong-O continued by saying:

“Ever wonder why Liam Harrison fights like a Thai fighter? Because he flies to Thailand often to train.”

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Nong-O Gaiyanghadao believes fight with Liam Harrison comes down to who is better prepared

With more than 260 career wins, Nong-O Gaiyanghadao is one of the most decorated Muay Thai practitioners in the world today. As he gets set to step inside the circle for another outing against a tough opponent, Nong-O gave high praise to his challenger, believing that the two fighters are even in many ways.

“I think Liam’s skill set is very good. He is a strategist. He is veteran fighter. Compared to me, our skills and experience are equivalent. [The result will] depend on our physical condition on the fight day and how well you prepare yourself, as well as our game plan in the circle.”

Nong-O also acknowledged some of Harrison’s most dangerous attributes, specifically the fighter’s devastating leg kicks, which are capable of downing any opponent.

“Of course, Liam’s most dangerous weapons are punches and leg kicks. His powerful punches can knock you out in one blow. For his leg kicks, I’ve seen many of his opponents get knocked out by them."