ONE Fight Night 28 featured four Muay Thai fights this past Saturday. But Kongthoranee Sor Sommai stole the spotlight with a solid performance against a legend of the sport at Lumpinee Stadium.
Kongthoranee earned a split-decision win over former longtime ONE bantamweight Muay Thai champion Nong-O Hama in the latter’s first move to flyweight since the mid-2010s. By winning, Kongthoranee held down his number three spot in ONE’s flyweight top-five and proved he can hang with the elite.
There’s just one question now — who does he face next? The answer depends on what unfolds at ONE 172 on March 23 in Japan. Rodtang Jitmuangnon (1) is scheduled to fight Takeru Segawa under kickboxing rules. On the same night, Superlek Kiatmoo9 (2) will attempt to defend his bantamweight title against interim champ Nabil Anane.
Rodtang and Superlek are the only men in the division above Kongthoranee. Either men would be the next logical opponent for him. After all, he already beat Nakrob Fairtex (5) while Elias Mahmoudi (4) is currently serving a six month suspension for a failed drug test.
That leaves Konthoranee waiting on the sidelines until March blows by. But after ONE 172, we could see Kongthoranee back in action. Let’s look at a few scenarios.
Rodtang Beats Takeru And Superlek Beats Anane
Should Rodtang win his kickboxing fight against Takeru and Superlek beats Anane, ONE Championship could have Rodtang and Superlek rematch for the vacant flyweight Muay Thai title that Rodtang lost to the scales in 2024. In this case, Kongthoranee could get the winner. If he wants to stay busy, perhaps he could fight Denis Puric in the interim.
Rodtang Beats Takeru But Superlek Loses To Anane
If Rodtang beats Takeru but Superlek loses to Anane, that might be the right time to set up a rematch between Superlek and Kongthoranee. Then, the winner can face former divisional champ Rodtang for the vacant flyweight Muay Thai belt.
Rodtang Loses And Superlek Beats Anane
Should Rodtang lose to Takeru and Superlek beats Anane, Kongthoranee could face Rodtang, with the winner getting a shot at the vacant flyweight belt against Superlek.
Rodtang And Superlek Lose
This gives Kongthoranee some bargaining power, as he just came off a win against Nong-O. He could have his pick of either Rodtang or Superlek.