Nong-O Hama has hinted at what might be in store if he is successful in his upcoming title defence -- a potential showdown with ONE flyweight king and fellow Thai Rodtang Jitmuangnon.
But first, the long-time reigning ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world champion must get past British superstar Jonathan Haggerty at ONE Fight Night 9 on Saturday.
After the blockbuster main event goes down at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Nong-O insists that he would be happy to welcome his friend to the bantamweight division -- should Rodtang make the jump up in weight.
"I heard the news that Rodtang wants to put on some weight and move up a division. I have no problem at all with fighting him," he said.
"Rodtang would still be my best bro, but in the ring, we do our duty and fight our best."
"The Iron Man" has been dominant in his ONE tenure so far. He has reeled off 13 thrilling wins as a flyweight under Muay Thai and kickboxing rules since signing with the promotion in 2018.
Nong-O, on the other hand, has also been virtually flawless.
The Thai superstar is 10-0 under the ONE banner, including a four-year bantamweight Muay Thai title run that so far spans an incredible seven title defences.
If Rodtang were to challenge him, Nong-O said he will be ready.
"I still have the belt around my waist. If you want to move up to bantamweight, I'll be waiting for you here," he said.
As for his own plans to challenge the best in other sports or weight classes, Nong-O isn't so keen.
The 36-year-old is more than content to continue to ward off challengers to his bantamweight crown, a task that he says brings out the best in him.
"As a world champion, I have seen the new generation of boxers, each with different styles. This makes me thrilled because I can fight with fighters that have various styles, which forces me to improve myself," he said.
"I am now 36 years old, which is considered old in boxing. If I want to start fighting in other rules, I'll need to start over. And if I want to gain weight to fight in a higher division, I'd be an underdog.
"I'll stick with bantamweight and defend my world championship as long as I can to make history!"
