Nong-O willing to give Rodtang a chance for bantamweight belt: “I’ll be waiting for you here”

Reigning ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world champion Nong-O Hama is willing to give fellow Thai superstar Rodtang Jitmuangnon a title shot if ever the latter decides to move up a division and make a go at it.

While he considers ‘The Iron Man’ a friend, Nong-O recognizes that their styles make for an exciting and explosive title showdown that fans would love to see happen. The bantamweight Muay Thai king shared this in a recent interview with ONE Championship:

“I still have the belt around my waist. If you want to move up to bantamweight, I’ll be waiting for you here. Rodtang would still be my best bro, but in the ring, we do our duty and fight our best.”

Since becoming world champion in February 2019, Nong-O has been one of the more active titleholders in ONE Championship, with seven title defenses to date, and another one set for later this month.

The Evolve MMA affiliate will stake the bantamweight Muay Thai belt against former flyweight Muay Thai king Jonathan ‘The General’ Haggerty of the United Kingdom in the headlining bout at ONE Fight Night 9 on Prime Video on April 21 at the historic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok.

Rodtang, meanwhile, is also set to defend his ONE flyweight Muay Thai title at ONE’s first-ever live on-ground event in the United States on May 5.

Nong-O will take on Mexican challenger Edgar Tabares in the co-headlining match at ONE Fight Night 10 on Prime Video. It will be his fifth defense of the title he won in August 2019.

All ONE Fight Night events are aired live and for free to North American fans with an active Prime Video subscription.