“There was a lot of pressure” - Thai legend Nong-O Hama recalls he was hyped beyond measure in his ONE debut in Manila

Nong-O Hama has been on the high-pressure stages of Thailand's most prestigious Muay Thai stadiums, yet he still felt his nerves creep in when he was about to make his ONE Championship debut.

The Thai legend set foot on the grandest stage at ONE: Heroes of Honor in April 2018 when he faced off against France's Fabio Pinca.

It was a typical affair for Nong-O as he promptly dominated the French striker to capture the clear-cut unanimous decision win at Mall of Asia Arena.

In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda MMA, Nong-O admitted that he felt the pressure of fighting in front of a larger audience.

Nonetheless, he was hyped beyond belief once he started getting the hang of competing under ONE Championship's bright lights.

He said:

"I was very excited, and also I believe the stadium was really full, probably like tens of thousands of people, I wasn’t sure because it was a very long time ago. But, yeah I was very excited also. There was a lot of pressure as well, that was my feeling."

Nong-O Hama eventually reached and exceeded the heights he was expected of in ONE Championship.

Barely a year into his ONE Championship tenure, Nong-O captured the inaugural ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world title at the expense of China's Han Zi Hao in Bangkok.

Nong-O then defended his throne seven consecutive times, a record he shares with ONE women's strawweight MMA world champion Xiong Jing Nan and former ONE bantamweight MMA world champion Bibiano Fernandes.

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Nong-O Hama eyes a shot at flyweight gold if he gets past Kongthoranee at ONE Fight Night 31

Nong-O Hama's time atop the bantamweight Muay Thai division has ended, and he now attempts to replicate that same success at the lighter flyweight class.

The Thai legend will face off against Kongthoranee Sor Sommai, the third-ranked contender in the division, in a flyweight Muay Thai clash in the main event of ONE Fight Night 31 on May 2 at the historic Lumpinee Stadium.

In the same interview with Sportskeeda MMA, Nong-O said he hopes a shot at flyweight gold awaits him if he gets past Kongthoranee in their rematch.

"If I win, right? I hope ONE Championship can give me the chance to fight for the title," said Nong-O.

ONE Fight Night 31 is available live and free to all Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.