Nong-O Gaiyanghadao Retains World Title With Flawless Performance In Bangkok

ONEchampionship.com

Thailand’s own Nong-O Gaiyanghadao produced a masterful display of Muay Thai to dominate Japanese challenger Hiroaki “Kaibutsukun” Suzuki and retain the ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Title at ONE: WARRIORS OF LIGHT.

On Friday, 10 May, the 32-year-old legend of “the art of eight limbs” quickly settled into his work and found his range with powerful kicks to the body throughout the night, which brought the crowd at Bangkok’s Impact Arena to its feet.

Nong-O looked ominously relaxed early on as he landed strikes on Suzuki with consummate ease. He connected with thumping right kicks and stinging short punches, as well as one leg kick that sent the Shoot Boxing Lightweight World Champion staggering backward.

After a sluggish opening round, 34-year-old Suzuki looked to pick up his pace in the second, but was met with a barrage of powerful roundhouse kicks from the Thai superstar.

It seemed like every time the Toyohashi resident moved into striking range, Nong-O let fly and connected with a powerful kick before the Japanese challenger could set his feet to throw a strike.

As the action continued, Nong-O established a rhythm that saw him completely control the exchanges from range. He continually used the same strike to punish Suzuki, whose attempts to block did not stop his left shoulder and ribs from absorbing a ton of damage.

Nong-O found another gear in round three as he loaded up on his strikes. He switched his target from Suzuki’s body to his legs, but the Japanese challenger still had no answer to the Thai’s methodical, yet powerful, kicking attack.

A pair of powerful head kicks then sent Suzuki staggering backward, and the Japanese man eventually touched the canvas after he was clipped by a strike to the head, but referee Elias Dolaptsis ruled a slip, rather than a knockdown.

Nong-O’s dominance continued into the World Championship rounds as he continued to pick off Suzuki from range. The Japanese athlete was unable to alter his game plan or make the defending World Champion have to rethink his approach, and as a result, the Evolve representative continued to land strikes on the karate ace at will.

Despite Nong-O’s dominance, Suzuki refused to back down, and he kept walking forward in search of openings. But other than an occasional short punching combination up close, the Bellwood Fight Team product found little success.

That meant Suzuki had no option but to go for broke and chase a knockout in the fifth and final round.

While the Japanese star closed the distance more effectively as he attempted to connect with heavy punches, it only put him in closer range of Nong-O’s arsenal.

The Thai connected with even more powerful kicks to the body, and added punches, elbows, and even a spinning back-elbow into the mix.

As the final bell sounded, the athletes’ demeanors told the whole story. Suzuki looked forlorn as he hobbled back to his corner, while Nong-O threw up his hands and flexed to celebrate his victory with his delighted compatriots, who gave him a huge ovation.

The judges’ decision was a mere formality, as all three awarded a unanimous decision to the Thai icon.

The 259th win of his stellar Muay Thai career cemented his place as the premier bantamweight practitioner of “the art of eight limbs” on the planet.