Kulabdam Sor Jor Piek Uthai will face a foe he greatly respects in ONE Championship this weekend, but he will need to put that aside to go to war. “Left Meteorite” is set to face former bantamweight Muay Thai king Nong-O Hama at ONE Friday Fights 58: Superbon vs. Grigorian.

The showdown will be this Friday, April 5, inside the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. Like many young Thai fighters, the 25-year-old is aware of the reputation his upcoming opponent has. Nong-O has over 300 fights to his name and has won 265 of those, claiming multiple World Titles, including the ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Title, along the way. 

Kulabdam Sor Jor Piek Uthai is a fan too

Speaking to ONE in an interview, Kulabdam was honest about his appreciation for what the 37-year-old has accomplished in his career, and what he can still do even to this day. “To fight with Nong-O means a lot to me because he’s my idol. I love his style. I respect his discipline and the way he takes care of his body. He is old, but he can still fight. I’m happy to have a chance to fight with my idol,” he said. 

Heading into a clash with someone he reveres, the Sor Jor Piek Uthai man is well aware of the weapons that he’ll be facing. He also believes Nong-O’s experience will be something that will be going for him. But Kulabdam is confident that his youth will stand to him, when he meets his legendary foe.

“All of [Nong-O’s] attacks are dangerous. Every weapon he throws at you can knock you out. For his advantage, he definitely has much more experience than me,” he said. “I think my advantage over him is that I’m younger. In preparation for him, I still practice according to the same program, but I’ve increased the intensity of training.”

Nong-O’s rise in ONE Championship was meteoric. He joined the world’s largest martial arts organization in 2018 and went on a 10-fight win streak that included winning the bantamweight Muay Thai crown and defending it seven times.

Kulabdam has a lot more left to give

While the Thai veteran lost the belt to Jonathan Haggerty last April and fell to Nico Carrillo in his return eight months later, Kulabdam knows he has plenty left in his tank. He also understands that beating Nong-O will take him to new heights in his career, so the young star will have to forget all idolization when they clash this Friday.

“I feel excited. I’m more than happy to fight a former World Champion like Nong-O. But as soon as my foot steps into the ring, I will forget all the excitement because we are professional fighters. There are no brothers or idols in the ring,” Kulabdam said. 

Also Read: “It’s More Fun” – Jonathan Di Bella Looking Forward To Competing In Front of Enemy Territory At ONE Friday Fights 58