"I want him to stay positive" - Nong-O Hama urges former foe Liam Harrison to keep his head up fight after losing retirement fight
Nong-O Hama watched on at ONE 168 as one of his former opponents called time on his career at the highest level.
The Thai veteran has produced a legendary career and in that time, he's crossed paths with some fellow icons of the Muay Thai world.
An elite champion needs challengers in order to elevate both men's careers, and that's exactly what happened at ONE on Prime Video 1. Nong-O clashed with England's Liam Harrison, who has also traded blows with many of the best of his era.
Though the fight may have come later in his career than he would have liked, it was still a treat for striking fans to see these two men go head-to-head.
Following Harrison's retirement after his loss to Seksan Or Kwanmuang this past weekend at the Ball Arena in Denver, his former foe gave his thoughts in an interview with the South China Morning Post:
"I really want to just send him positive energy. Because we know each other. He's a good person. We fought each other before. I just want him to stay positive. I want to send this energy to him."
Watch the full interview below:
Nong-O continues to keep pushing forward
There was a point in time when it looked like Nong-O Hama may also be winding down his career.
Back-to-back stoppage defeats meant that he had a lot of work to do in order to build back towards the top of the bantamweight Muay Thai division, which he reigned over for so long.
Defeating Kulabdam Sor Jor Piek Uthai in his last outing was the first step towards that and now he's looking to take out a surging contender.
The former champ faces Kiamran Nabati at ONE Friday Fights 81 on September 27 in a huge fight for the division. If the Thai veteran can stop Nabati in his tracks, he's right back in the mix.
The full replay of ONE 168 is available on demand for Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.
ONE Friday Fights 81 will air live in Asian primetime via PPV at watch.onefc.com.