In lieu of Nong-O Gaiyanghadao’s highly anticipated bantamweight Muay Thai world title bout on August 26, the living legend spoke with ONE Championship about how his life has changed since relocating to Singapore in 2015.
Nong-O needs no introduction. The Thai icon is considered to be one of the greatest Muay Thai strikers in the world, having achieved many accolades during his long fighting career.
However, his life was not all sunshine and roses. Originating from Thailand, the struggling athlete decided to take a chance and relocate to Singapore in pursuit of a better life for himself and his family.
Having been settled in Singapore for 7 years now, Nong-O revealed to ONE Championship about how moving there changed his life:
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“I have two sons, aged 10 and 8. They are attending primary school at a school in Thailand not far from our place. My wife lives with me in Singapore. During covid, she went back to live with her family in Thailand for a year. But now she is back with me in Singapore, while my two sons live with my father and mother-in-law."
He continued about how his life changed by saying:
"My whole life changed completely. When I was fighting in Thailand, I lost and won. Sometimes, I couldn’t find any opponent to fight, which meant no income for me. But after I moved to Singapore, I had [a regular] salary. My family's quality of life improved greatly. I could support my parents as well.”
Revered in Asia, Gaiyanghadao has another window of opportunity to elevate his passion for the sport and make himself known in North America. He vows to put on an entertaining show by stopping British veteran Liam ‘The Hitman’ Harrison from capturing his Muay Thai bantamweight belt in the co-main event at ONE on Prime Video 1.
Nong-O Gaiyanghadao won’t be pulling back punches, says he’s “coming for blood”
Nong-O Gaiyanghadao reveres his rival Liam Harrison for his warrior spirit, however, he won’t be pulling back his punches just because he respects him as Nong-O says he is coming for blood.
The Thai world champion has been undefeated since 2018 and will hold onto his legacy of being one of the most dominant world champions at ONE until he retires. ‘The Hitman’ is a formidable opponent who will challenge Gaiyanghadao on different levels, with his fast pace, unwavering aggression, and knockout power.
The 35-year-old veteran is excited to compete against an opponent of his caliber. But he wants to make one thing clear to Harrison:
“Don’t mistake my kindness for weakness. Once the cage is locked, there is no escape. I’m coming for blood.”
To which Harrison responded with:
“That makes 2 of us…. BRING IT”