Nong-O Gaiyanghadao works on his boxing with former WBA world champion Drian Francisco

Nong-O Gaiyanghadao is keeping his weapons sharp with the help of Drian Francisco.

The ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world champion is getting ready for an impending world title defense against Liam Harrison. While no date has been set for their bout, there looks to be a sense of urgency with the champ, as he is already hard at work in the gym with Francisco.

Francisco is a Filipino boxer who was a protege of Manny Pacquiao and trained at Freddie Roach’s Wild Card Boxing Club in Los Angeles. The former WBA boxing world champion gave Cuban boxing superstar Guillermo Rigondeaux all that he could handle when they faced each other.

Now an instructor at the famed Evolve MMA Gym in Singapore, Francisco has helped develop the powerful hands of other ONE Championship contenders in Ritu Phogat, Eko Roni Saputra, and Alex Silva, among others.

With the help of Francisco, a fully motivated Nong-O could be an even more formidable fighter when he stands opposite the ferocious Liam Harrison in the Circle.

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Nong-O Gaiyanghadao looks to continue his dominant run

Nong-O Gaiyanghadao has ruled over the bantamweight division since his promotional debut in 2018, and he’s looking stronger in every match.

He won his first five matches, all of which went to the judges’ scorecards, but his last three bouts have all ended via TKO. His latest win came at ONE X, where Nong-O finished Felipe Lobo with a devastating uppercut that sent the world title challenger to dreamland.

That power, honed even further by Drian Francisco, is going to be a problem for No.5-ranked bantamweight and upcoming world title challenger Liam Harrison.

The British legend is riding a five-bout win streak and earned his spot against Nong-O after an inspiring performance against ‘Elbow Zombie’ Muangthai PK.Saenchai at ONE 156. Harrison stood back up after two quick knockdowns to score three consecutive knockdowns of his own to get the come-from-behind victory. He was also awarded a US$100,000 performance bonus for his effort.

Like Nong-O Gaiyanghadao, Harrison is also putting in the work early as he was back in training shortly after his win. Both men are getting locked and loaded for their inevitable clash, so expect an absolute war when they finally take the Circle.