Kongthoranee says loss to Superlek brought out his best for Nong-O duel: “He was a great fighter”
Streaking Thai fighter Kongthoranee Sor Sommai had Thai legend Nong-O Hama as his latest conquered opponent. He credited the win to the match he had against Superlek Kiatmoo9 last year, where he lost by decision.
The Team Sor Sommai standout battled 'The Kicking Machine' last June in a flyweight Muay Thai clash. He put up a spirited stand, but it was not enough to swing the judges' nod in his favor.
Despite the defeat, Kongthoranee said he learned a lot from his match against Superlek, particularly how to deal with high-profile fights, which he was able to use in his succeeding matches. It included his spilt decision victory over Nong-O back in February.
He spoke about it in an interview with Sportskeeda MMA, highlighting how going up against Superlek prepared him a lot against Nong-O, saying:
"I would say Superlek. He was a great fighter, so I don't think, oh, that's the fight I lost, but it's the fight that also prepared me for Nong-O, and also all of my other opponents, I feel like they are all great."
Following his loss to Superlek, Kongthoranee racked up three straight victories. He defeated Russian Tagir Khalilov in November then a month later beat Thai Nakrob Fairtex, before getting the better of Nong-O.
That winning momentum is what he is looking to build on when he takes on Nong-O in a rematch at ONE Fight Night 31 on May 2. It is the headlining contest of the event happening at the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
ONE Fight Night 31 is available live at U.S. primetime to North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.
Kongthoranee happy to have a rematch against Nong-O to silence his doubters
While he came away with a split decision victory over Nong-O Hama in their first encounter, Kongthoranee Sor Sommai is aware that some people were not convinced of the win considering how close it was. That is why he is happy to get a rematch with the Thai legend at ONE Fight Night 31.
He opened up about it in an interview with ONE Championship, pointing out that in the redo his goal is to be convincing in victory.
The hard-hitting Thai fighter said:
“Yes, [I wanted the rematch] because this time everyone will finally be able to end their arguments.”
ONE Fight Night 31 will be the 14th match of Kongthoranee since making his promotional debut in February 2023. He has an impressive 11-2 record in ONE Championship tp date.
Nong-O (11-4), meanwhile, will be making his second outing in flyweight after long competing and dominating as world champion in the bantamweight lane.