Nong-O Hama will have to overcome a huge challenge as he bids for the eighth defence of his ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world title on Saturday.
The Thai legend faces former flyweight Muay Thai king Jonathan Haggerty of Britain in the ONE Fight Night 9 main event, set for the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok.
With a staggering 265 professional wins and numerous world titles to his name, Nong-O has done it all in Muay Thai.
But the prospect of facing a former ONE world champion, he said, is more than enough motivation.
"Knowing I'm fighting Jonathan Haggerty makes me excited. He was the flyweight champion, and he has beaten many other great boxers," he said.
"Haggerty has studied Muay Thai since he was a kid, and he has been great since then. I've followed him. His Muay Thai is awesome. He has got all of the techniques like kicking, punching, and elbow striking. He is wonderful. His strikes are beautiful. He is a really good boxer in my view, but he is not a problem for me."
Haggerty has reeled off three impressive wins since relinquishing his flyweight strap to Rodtang Jitmuangnon back in 2020.
In his latest outing, "The General" made the move up to bantamweight and defeated Russian contender Vladimir Kuzmin at ONE Fight Night 4 in November.
While Nong-O was respectful of the 26-year-old's skills, the Evolve MMA representative is confident that he can drag his foe into deep water and make him quit.
"My plan is to approach him aggressively and hurt him by striking with hard, heavy, and precise weapons such as leg kicks, punches, and body punches," he said.
"I'll need to use all of my Muay Thai weapons to make Haggerty exhausted -- mentally too -- and give up."
Nong-O has been utterly dominant in his ONE tenure so far.
The four-time former Lumpinee Stadium world champion is a perfect 10-0 since signing with the promotion in 2018.
His latest win was arguably his most impressive, as he crushed former ONE bantamweight kickboxing world champion Alaverdi Ramazanov with a vicious third-round body attack at ONE Lumpinee 1 in January.
The 36-year-old is planning a similar highlight-reel finish for ONE Fight Night 9, as he hopes to keep the world title on Thai soil until the time comes for him to hang up the gloves.
"In the five previous fights, I won by KO. And in the upcoming one, I am determined to get a bonus from [ONE chairman] Chatri [Sityodtong]," he said.
"I will knock Jonathan Haggerty out, and I will do my best for my Thai fans. I will keep this belt among Thai people in Thailand.
"No one can take it away from me. I'm not going to lose this world championship until I retire."
