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Nong-O Hama and Kongthoranee Sor Sommai will lock horns for the second time this year in a flyweight Muay Thai banger that will headline ONE Fight Night 31 on May 2.
Their three-round tussle inside Bangkok's legendary Lumpinee Stadium was confirmed by the promotion on its website last Thursday.
Nong-O, a former longtime ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world champion, looks to pull one back against the No.3-ranked divisional contender and secure his first win in the division after coming up short in their first encounter at ONE Fight Night 28 this past February.
The 38-year-old Evolve MMA representative was up against the speedy Sor Sommai man's weapons throughout their exciting nine-minute war inside the Mecca of Muay Thai.
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Despite holding his own at several stretches of the tie, Nong-O's typically indestructible defense was tactically picked apart by Kongthoranee's sniper-like shots that helped the latter onto a narrow split-decision triumph.
The veteran has another massive task ahead of him as he'll have to find a way past Kongthoranee's speed, power, and ability to adjust on the fly. However, if he can find the form that took him to eight successive world title defenses at bantamweight, the Muay Thai specialist can shake up the entire flyweight bracket.
That said, as history suggests, Kongthornaee's evasiveness and fight IQ are not to be underestimated. The 28-year-old is on a mission to close in on the vacant flyweight Muay Thai crown and will do anything to rack up his 11th victory from 13 outings on the global stage of ONE Championship.
Kongthoranee vs. Nong-O joins an intriguing world title contest at ONE Fight Night 31
Joining Kongthoranee and Nong-O Hama at ONE Fight Night 31 is a previously announced ONE welterweight submission grappling world title tiff between divisional king Tye Ruotolo and Dante Leon.
It will be their third meeting — the first under the ONE banner — and the grappling wizards should treat fans to another nail-biting affair, given the intensity of their first two meetings.
Leon earned a win on the scorecards in February 2020, but the Atos representative submitted him via guillotine choke when the two ran it back in September 2021.
North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription can catch the entire card live in U.S. primetime for free on Friday, May 2. Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for more news and announcements about ONE Fight Night 31.
