Nong-O Gaiyanghadao beat rising star Kulabdam Sor Jor Piek Uthai in a decision at ONE Friday Fights 58 – with a performance that silenced the critics who had been telling the 37-year-old it was time to retire.
Having lost his previous two fights, the former champion was under pressure and he responded in the best possible way: by winning for the first time in a year.
“I would like to let everyone know that age is not a problem and the king is back,” he said after his triumph.
Kulabdam is 12 years younger than Nong-O and was coming off four impressive victories, but he faded from the fight and the veteran former champion took advantage to finish strongly and claim the win by a decision.
Nong-O had been stopped by his previous two opponents and seemed to suggest that Kulabdam might have taken him lightly.
“I feel like other fighters underestimate me because of my age, but I don’t think they realise that I am still powerful, my body is still good, my physical strength is still good, and I can still fight, of course,” he said. “I also have a lot of experience that they should be careful of.”
Nong-O’s status in the sport is such that he was never going to be handed an easy fight. He is consistently matched with the best opponents in the bantamweight division and believes the win over Kulabdam could be enough to move on to the next level.
“I was the champion for seven defences,” he said. “I think I should get a title shot.”
He might have to wait until next year for his chance to challenge for the belt, however. Nong-O knows that Superlek Kiatmoo9 is facing reigning champion Jonathan Haggerty at ONE 168 in September, the promotion’s second show on US soil.
“I’m not focusing on the person, but I’m just focusing on the belt,” he said. “So whoever is the champ at the moment, I would like to fight them.”
Nong-O has already been beaten by Haggerty once but has never shared a ring with Superlek, although the two men have competed on the same fight cards several times throughout their careers.
Nong-O is flying the flag for fighters in their late 30s. Muay Thai is a sport where speed is absolutely key and conventional wisdom states that athletes start to lose it once middle age sets in.
The fights promoted by ONE Championship are different from traditional Muay Thai because the gloves are significantly smaller. It means there is absolutely no margin for error and fast reaction times and reflexes are vital.
For Nong-O to be enjoying success in this format at such an advanced age is particularly impressive.