"I forgot only his legs were hurt" - Nong-O admits careless error cost him victory against Nico Carrillo
Nong-O Hama admits he was negligent in his bantamweight Muay Thai showdown versus Nico Carrillo last December.
The former longtime divisional king was expected to return to the winner's column after losing his gold — his first defeat under the ONE Championship banner — to Jonathan Haggerty at ONE Fight Night 9 in April last year.
While that very much looked the case as he fired away one damaging kick after another to slow down the Scottish slugger in the opening round of their tie, 'King of the North' flipped the script, utilizing his hammer-like fists to see off the legendary Thai at the midway point of the second stanza.
Looking back at the clash, which handed him his first back-to-back defeat since 2012, Nong-O sensed that he was a bit too focused on battering Carrillo's legs, which evidently cost him a bounce-back win on the global stage.
The Evolve MMA star had this to say during a recent chat with Sportsmanor:
"As you can see, in the first round [against Nico Carrillo], you can see I did a lot of damage, and his legs were hurt. And, in the second round, I tried to focus on the leg kicks for more damage on the existing damage. But then I forgot only his legs were hurt, and not his hands."
Watch the full interview here:
Nong-O hopes to rebound from Carillo loss against Kulabdam: "Focused on getting the win"
As a legend who's seen it all over the past two decades, Nong-O knows has no time to let his last two fights distract him from his next assignment.
At ONE Friday Fights 58 on April 5, the Muay Thai veteran will be all in to ensure he leaves the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, with a win over countryman Kulabdam Sor Jor Piek Uthai.
In the same interview, he concluded:
"I'm excited and pumped. I'm focused on getting the win no matter what."
ONE Friday Fights 58 will be available on the ONE Championship YouTube channel, the ONE Super App, and watch.onefc.com. Check your local listing for more details.