After a tough run of results, Japanese striking star Taiki Naito finally had his arm raised at ONE Fight Night 32. The moment marked a make-or-break performance against Colombian star Johan Estupinan.
The #3-ranked flyweight kickboxing contender served Estupinan the first loss of his career. This happened on Friday, June 6, inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium by majority decision.
Having reasserted himself in the division, he now seeks to avenge his coach by calling out former ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion and #3-ranked flyweight Muay Thai contender Nong-O Hama.
Six years ago at ONE: WARRIOR OF LIGHT in May 2019, Nong-O faced Naito’s coach, Hiroaki Suzuki. The Japanese challenger was on a two-fight winning streak. He’d dominated Deividas Danyla in his debut. He followed up with a third-round knockout of Mohammed Bin Mahmoud.
That earned him a shot at the longtime Muay Thai overlord. But it wouldn’t fare well for him.
Nong-O performed a Muay Thai clinic against Suzuki. He battered him with thumping kicks and heavy punches to cruise to a unanimous decision after all five rounds. Naito stood in the corner watching, plating the seeds of revenge.
In 2025, Nong-O is no longer the bantamweight Muay Thai king. He’s now a member of the flyweight division, putting him in the crosshairs of Naito.
And with a strong showing against Estupinan giving him some much needed confidence, he seeks to bring a matchup with the Thai great to fruition.
“My current teacher, Hiroaki [Suzuki], he also fought a title match with Nong-O before, and I was there as a corner man, and I saw that, and I was impressed,” he said.
“Since Nong-O is at flyweight, I think it will be a good match for me to fight Nong-O.”
