ONE Friday Fights 81: Superbon vs. Nattawut is shaping up to be a thrilling event, with ONE Championship announcing the addition of two Muay Thai legends to the card this week.

The Friday, September 27, show at Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium will see the return of former bantamweight Muay Thai king Nong-O Hama and former two-sport World Champion Sam-A Gaiyanghadao.

Nong-O vs. Kiamran Nabati bantamweight Muay Thai clash that could reshape the rankings

Nong-O will face streaking star Kiamran Nabati in bantamweight Muay Thai action, and their battle could shake up the divisional rankings. The Thai legend claimed the inaugural ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Title at ONE: CLASH OF LEGENDS in February 2019 and went on to defend it a mindblowing seven times before dropping it to Jonathan Haggerty via a first-round knockout in April last year.

Nong-O slipped to another loss when he fell to Nico Carrillo in his next fight eight months later, but he managed to stop the skid when he scored a hard-earned win over Kulabdam Sor Jor Piek Uthai at ONE Friday Fights 58 this past April. The #3-ranked bantamweight contender will hope to continue his upward trajectory at ONE Friday Fights 81, but he’ll be put to the test by the hard-hitting Nabati.

The Russian star is currently 3-0 in ONE Championship and is riding high from his biggest win to date. At ONE Friday Fights 68 this past June, Nabati ended Suablack Tor Pran49’s six-fight win streak with an incredible first-round knockout that earned him a six-figure contract to compete at the world’s largest martial arts organization marquee events.

Both fighters will be eager to show their worth in the stacked bantamweight Muay Thai division when they collide, so their clash should be an unmissable affair. The second bout added to ONE Friday Fights 81 is likely to be a stellar contest, too, as Sam-A will take on Algerian knockout artist Akram “La Pépite” Hamidi in a strawweight Muay Thai clash.

Sam-A gears up for critical fight against Hamidi at ONE Friday Fights 81

A ONE Championship mainstay, Sam-A once held the ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Title, and he also stood as the strawweight kickboxing and Muay Thai king simultaneously in his first tenure in the promotion. The Thai star announced his retirement soon after losing the strawweight Muay Thai belt to Prajanchai PK Saenchai at ONE: BATTLEGROUND in July 2021, but he continued to compete, winning two bouts in Rajadamnern stadium.

At ONE Friday Fights 9 in March last year, Sam-A returned and showed that he still had what it takes by knocking out Ireland’s Ryan Sheehan in the second round. The Evolve MMA athlete earned a shot at the interim strawweight Muay Thai strap from that win, but he fell to longtime rival Prajanchai when they contested it in June 2023. Now, he’s looking to climb back to World Title contention with a win over Hamidi.

“La Pépite” won’t make it easy for the 40-year-old star, though. He owns 50 wins in his professional striking career, with two coming in ONE. Hamidi’s only loss in the promotion thus far came in a three-round war with Prajanchai at ONE Friday Fights 34 last October. But he stormed back into the winners’ column with a first-round stoppage of ​​Kongchai Chanaidonmueang at ONE Friday Fights 66 this past June.

While they are at different stages of their career, there’s no doubt both Sam-A and Hamidi will be hungry to take an important win on September 27. ONE Friday Fights 81 is set to be headlined by a non-title Muay Thai clash between ONE Interim Featherweight Kickboxing World Champion Superbon and ONE Featherweight Muay Thai World Title challenger “Smokin’” Jo Nattawut. More fights are expected to be announced in the coming weeks, so keep watching this space for updates.