Nong-O Gaiyanghadao has plenty of respect for Liam Harrison by the sounds of it. But not too much respect, the reigning ONE Championship bantamweight Muay Thai king is confident he will be able to knock the challenger out when they finally fight,
“Liam, I will go all out in our upcoming fight. You should prepare yourself well because I’m about to knock you out, for sure,” he told ONEFC.com.
Harrison earned a title shot after recovering from two first round knockdowns to beat Muangthai PKSaenchaigym. It was one of the best fights in the history of Muay Thai and earned the Englishman $100,000 USD in bonuses.
Nong-O was watching that contest and sounds impressed,
“Liam could come back because he has more experience. He could read the game better than Muangthai. He knew that Muangthai had two knockdowns already, and he would rush to seal the deal. But Liam is a veteran. When he was counted, he would not rush to get up. He waited to recover and get back up strong.”
Muangthai nearly FINISHES Liam Harrison with back-to-back knockdowns! 👊💥👊#ONE156 #WeAreONE #ONEChampionship | How To Watch 👉 https://t.co/t1U58xACAx pic.twitter.com/JNOAZLIcdW
— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) April 22, 2022
Dangerous opponent
Nong-O has spent the majority of his career competing against the top Thais. He does have some experience of fighting foreign fighters but believes none of them has been on the same level as Harrison,
“If counting only foreign opponents, I would say yes (he) is the most dangerous opponent I’ve ever faced. He fought many famous Muay Thai fighters, including the Thai legend Saenchai.”
It sounds like Nong-O has been following Harrison’s career for quite some time,
“It might seem ridiculous to say that my favorite Muay Thai fighter and kickboxer is Liam Harrison, my next challenger. I’ve been following him for quite a long time. I love his style. His fights are always exciting and fun to watch.”
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Mind games
It might sound as though Nong-O is playing mind games with the challenger. After all he is a former Lumpinee and Rajadamnern champion who established himself as one of the bets fighters in Thailand before signing with ONE Championship.
But the 35 year old really does have a good working knowledge of Harrison’s fighting style,
“Liam’s most dangerous weapons are punches and leg kicks. His powerful punches can knock you out in one blow. For his leg kicks, I’ve seen many of his opponents get knocked out by them. I often study his techniques and trainings on YouTube,” he said.
Nong-O has won eight fights out of fight since signing for ONE Championship. Harrison’s fortunes have been more mixed and the Englishman has two wins from his four fights.
Nong-O is a veteran of approximately 300 fights many of which have been against the top fighters on the stadium scene in Thailand. On paper Harrison does not quite have this level of experience but the Thai sees him as a worthy adversary.
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Well matched
Nong-O is taking the challenger very seriously and says the two fighters are on a par in terms of both experience and skill,
“He is veteran fighter. Compared to me, our skills and experience are equivalent.”
Nong-O had some warm words for Harrison but the 35 year old has dealt ruthlessly with all his recent opponents. The Englishman has a lot of hype behind him after that incredible win over Muangthai and when this title fight finally happens it will definitely be one to watch.
