Nong-O Hama says Jonathan Haggerty is ‘not a problem’

ONE bantamweight Muay Thai kingpin Nong-O Hama is extremely confident heading into his eighth world title defense against fifth-ranked Jonathan Haggerty.

The 36-year-old megastar will headline ONE Fight Night 9 on Prime Video alongside ‘The General’ inside his old stomping grounds at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand on April 21.

With less than a week to go before Nong-O laces up the 4-oz gloves anew, he was asked about his thoughts about Haggerty’s glowing resume.

The English fighter, after all, is a decorated striker who previously held the promotion’s flyweight Muay Thai crown before moving up a weight class.

However, Nong-O did not seem too impressed and offered a curt response to ONE Championship:

“He is a really good boxer in my view, but he is not a problem for me.”

In hindsight, Nong-O’s dismissive views towards his impressive challenger may seem off-putting to some.

Then again, it’s actually well-warranted when you think about the level of competition the Bangkok native has vanquished in his 10-fight unbeaten streak inside the Circle.

The indestructible Thai wrecking machine’s hit list in his last five bouts alone is as impressive as they come. Nong-O finished formidable adversaries like Saemapetch Fairtex, Rodlek PK Saenchai, Felipe Lobo, and Liam Harrison.

He also came roaring back from a slow start against Alaverdi Ramazanov in his last outing, destroying the Russian with a crushing body blow in round 3.

For sure, Jonathan Haggerty will be a worthy challenger. Nong-O, though, believes he’s just another name to cross off his list this coming Friday.

ONE Fight Night 9: Nong-O vs Haggerty on Prime Video will air live on US Primetime and is free for existing Amazon Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.