ONE Fight Night 28 preview and predictions: Kongthoranee vs. Nong-O Hama

It's the classic tale of the old guard facing off against the new guard, but ONE Fight Night 28 will present a different caveat to the age-old story.

Nong-O Hama, often considered one of the greatest Muay Thai fighters of all time, will move to a new domain to face off against Kongthoranee Sor Sommai in a flyweight Muay Thai matchup at ONE Fight Night 28 on Friday, US primetime, at the historic Lumpinee Stadium.

Instead of the older fighter welcoming the challenge of his younger competitor, this match will see Nong-O entering Kongthoranee's domain at the 135-pound flyweight division.

Nong-O fought exclusively at 145 pounds and reigned as the ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world champion from 2019 to 2023, but he's now dropped to flyweight to start a new chapter in his legendary career.

Before this inter-generational clash goes down at ONE Fight Night 28, Sportskeeda MMA's ONE Championship team put together their objective analyses of the impending matchup.

ONE Fight Night 28 is available live and free to all Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.

---

James De Rozario: Kongthoranee via knockout

I do want Nong-O to win, but Kongthoranee looks to be in pristine form. As such, I fear the worst for the former in his bid to start things fresh in the flyweight division.

Kongthoranee has sleeper-like power. And this will be his trump card to finish the former bantamweight Muay Thai king in round two.

Nong-O's chin has been exposed multiple times in his recent outings, and I expect the Sor Sommai athlete to take note of that and go in with bad intentions from the very start of the round.

Sure, Nong-O will be at his usual technical best, throwing power while evading and baiting his opposite number.

But for where Kongthoranee lacks in that department, the 28-year-old makes up for it in his ability to throw punches in bunches at full force.

And this is how I envision him handing Nong-O a night to forget inside the Lumpinee, possibly by a three-knockdown rule.

---

Mike Murillo: Kongthoranee via decision

A must-see fare as this could figure in the mix for the vacant flyweight Muay Thai gold down the line. It also has barnburner written all over it.

I expect this to be a close one, but something that Kongthoranee should win by unanimous decision.

Nong-O will be making his return to flyweight after long competing in bantamweight and a concern is if he still has the power he showed in the 145-pound division at 135.

It may be something that Kongthoranee will exploit with his own KO power, coupled with his frenetic pace and solid counter-punching.

But Nong-O is a Muay Thai icon for a reason and will not go down without a fight. He will take his younger opponent to the limit but in the end it may not be enough to get the win.

---

Ted Razon: Nong-O via knockout

This will indeed be a highly technical battle between a pair of high-IQ warriors. Kongthoranee is your classic Muay Femur, who’s a master in picking up patterns of his opponent’s rhythm and using them to dissect them with precise counterstrikes.

The same can be said of Nong-O, who has lately reverted to his old Muay Femur style since losing his bantamweight Muay Thai belt.

However, I believe Nong-O’s best bet to claim the W is to go back to his headhunting ways - the same Muay Mat style he used to rule the 145-pound division with an iron fist.

The 38-year-old cannot wait around and throw heavy artillery from the get-go to keep Kongthoranee on his heels.

Nong-O must also bridge the gap and not engage in kicking exchanges with his fellow Thai warrior at mid-range.

I see the Evolve MMA standout breaking Kongthoranee’s defenses in the third round and landing some bombs from the clinch to secure a TKO victory.

---

Vince Richards: Nong-O via decision

As the legendary NBA coach Rudy Tomjanovich once said, "Never underestimate the heart of a champion."

While Nong-O Hama may be going up in age, the Thai legend will forever be known as one of the greatest champions in Muay Thai.

From 2018 to 2023, Nong-O went a perfect 10-0 in ONE Championship and defended the ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world title seven times.

He may have relinquished the strap, but Nong-O could finally inject new life into his already legendary career when he takes on Kongthoranee in his flyweight debut in ONE Championship.

Nong-O and Kongthoranee share a similar Muay Femur style, but I believe Nong-O's innate power would stay with him in his lighter frame.

I expect Nong-O to work behind the counter and put on a methodical pace to drown out Kongthoranee for the unanimous decision win.