13 February, 2019 - Bangkok, Thailand : Thai superstar Nong-O Gaiyanghadao vows to stop opponent Han Zi Hao of China when the meet for the inaugural ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Title (65.8kg) at ONE: CLASH OF LEGENDS, which takes place at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand on February 16.
“I am really confident I can beat him,” said the 32-year-old Nong-O, adding that he has been in intensive training for the World Title encounter.
“I have trained for three months in Singapore. To strengthen my body, sports science has been used and it works very well. I can say that I am 100% ready for the fight. I am now mentally and physically fit.”
The Sakon Nakhon martial artist admitted that his Chinese opponent cannot be underestimated since he has faced a myriad of Thai boxers including Tuktahong Petchpayathai, Saengmanee Saengmaneemuaythaigym and Muangthai P.K.Saenchaimuaythaigym.
“He (Han Zi Hao) has practiced Muay Thai since he was a child. He can speak Thai. I know he has worked hard for this fight. I cannot underestimate him at all,” said Nong-O.
“I want the Thai fans to come and support me on Saturday.”
In a lightweight mixed martial arts contest (77.1kg), Bangkok’s Shannon “OneShin” Wiratchai is scheduled to face Mongolia’s Amarsanaa Tsogookhuu. The 30-year-old ace said he is confident of victory against the powerful Tsogookhuu, who came in as a late replacement for original opponent Tae Kyun Kim of South Korea.
“At first, I was assigned to fight the South Korean. However, it is not a problem to fight the Mongolian even though his punches are powerful,” said Wiratchai, who spent his training camp at Tiger Muay Thai in Phuket.
“I have changed my training to deal with his powerful punches.”
In a women’s atomweight mixed martial arts bout (52.2kg), Thai-Japanese female warrior Rika “Tinydoll” Ishige is set to square off against Nou Srey Pov of Cambodia. Ishige, who is one of the most prolific female athletes in ONE Championship, says that it is an honor to compete on such a big stage in Bangkok, and that Nou Srey Pov is one of the most experienced and skilled opponents she will face in her career.
In preparation for the bout, Ishige has trained in various striking disciplines to augment her high-level grappling game, including boxing and Muay Thai.
Other Thai athletes on the card at ONE: CLASH OF LEGENDS include Kongsak P.K.Saenchaimuaythaigym who takes on 3-time IFMA World Champion Alaverdi Ramazanov in a bantamweight Muay Thai contest (65.8kg), and Superlek Kiatmoo9 who faces Lao Chetra of Cambodia in a flyweight Muay Thai contest (61.2kg).
At a catch weight of 67.5kg, Chamuaktong Fightermuaythai goes head-to-head with Charlie Peters of the United Kingdom in a Muay Thai bout, while ‘Smokin’ Jo Nattawut and France’s Samy Sana face each other in a featherweight Muay Thai showdown (70.3kg).
The event will be broadcast live on Thairath TV (32) from 9.30 pm.
Ticket information for ONE: CLASH OF LEGENDS is available at www.onefc.com
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About ONE Championship™
ONE Championship (ONE) is the largest global sports media property in Asian history, and the largest producer of millennial live sports content in Asia. Headquartered in Singapore, ONE is the Home of Martial Arts, and is the world's largest martial arts organization, hosting bouts across all styles of martial arts such as Muay Thai, Kickboxing, Karate, Kung Fu, Silat, Sanda, Lethwei, Mixed Martial Arts, Tae Kwon Do, Submission Grappling, and more. ONE hosts the biggest sports entertainment events across Asia, featuring some of the world's best martial artists and world champions on the largest global media broadcast in Asia. ONE eSports, a subsidiary of ONE Championship, runs Asia's largest global eSports Championship Series with some of the biggest blockbuster game titles in the world. In addition to its digital platforms, ONE Championship broadcasts to over 1.7 billion potential viewers across 138 countries with some of the largest global broadcasters, including Fox Sports, ABS-CBN, Astro, ClaroSports, Bandsports, Startimes, Premier Sports, Thairath TV, Skynet, Mediacorp, OSN, Great Sports, Tencent, and more.
