Nong-O Drops Rodtang With High Kick to Reach Grand Prix Semifinals
The 40-year-old Muay Thai legend floored Rodtang in round two and won a unanimous decision at The Inner Circle 38 in Bangkok.
Nong-O Hama turned back the clock on Friday night in Bangkok, dropping Rodtang Jitmuangnon with a high left kick in the second round on his way to a unanimous decision victory at The Inner Circle 38.
The fight was a ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Grand Prix quarterfinal at Lumpinee Stadium. The two had been scheduled to meet once before, at ONE 173 last year, but Rodtang withdrew after falling ill and Nong-O failed hydration. This time, both men made it to the ring, and the 40-year-old veteran delivered.
The first round was even. Rodtang worked the body early while Nong-O attacked with left and right kicks. In the second, Nong-O uncorked a high left kick that sent Rodtang crashing to the canvas. Rodtang beat the eight-count but trailed on the scorecards heading into the final frame.
Rodtang came out hunting a finish in the third, but Nong-O used the clinch to smother his offense and see out the round. All three judges scored the fight for Nong-O, per ONE Championship.
Nong-O, a multi-time Lumpinee and Rajadamnern stadium champion who now fights out of Evolve MMA and Superbon Training Camp, improved his career record to 269-59. He advances to the Grand Prix semifinals, where he will face Shimon Yoshinari, who won his quarterfinal on the same card. For Rodtang, it was a rare defeat for the fighter known as "The Iron Man" and a bitter end to his Grand Prix run.
Nong-O is 40 years old with 328 professional fights and he just dropped one of the most durable fighters in combat sports with a head kick. That is not supposed to happen. Rodtang walks through everything. He has been hit flush by the best strikers on the planet and kept marching forward. Nong-O found the shot anyway.
This is what a real Muay Thai master looks like at the tail end of his career. No decline in timing, no loss of precision, just decades of ring IQ telling him exactly when to pull the trigger. The clinch work in the third round was textbook too. He knew Rodtang needed a finish and refused to give him clean exchanges.
The semifinal against Shimon Yoshinari is a fascinating matchup. Nong-O has the experience edge by about 250 fights. If he can keep this form, he has a real shot at winning the whole Grand Prix. At 40. In Muay Thai. That would be one of the best stories in the sport this year.
