Legends Of The Ring: A Complete History Of The ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Championship
The ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Championship has been held by some of the most celebrated superstars in the world’s largest martial arts organization.
Since 2018, the 135-pound division has stood as one of ONE Championship’s most talent-rich and captivating weight classes. Shocking upsets, superstar-making performances, and legendary reigns have delivered unforgettable moments that showcase the best of “the art of eight limbs.”
Three warriors have worn the belt, each cementing their legacy. But soon, a fourth king will rise in the flyweight Muay Thai ranks.
Two elite competitors will throw down for the vacant ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Title at ONE Friday Fights 147 on March 20, which broadcasts live in Asia primetime from Bangkok’s historic Lumpinee Stadium.
There, former ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion Nong-O Hama seeks to conquer a second weight class against unbeaten Russian sensation Asadula Imangazaliev, who aims to cap his flawless run with 26 pounds of gold.
Before the vacant throne finds its new king, three warriors built the foundation that led to this moment.
Thai Icon Sam-A Becomes The First Flyweight Ruler
The foundation of the ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Championship began with a living legend who had already conquered Thailand’s most hallowed arenas.
After dismantling Joseph Lasiri in the first-ever Muay Thai contest hosted in the world’s largest martial arts organization back in January 2018, Sam-A Gaiyanghadao earned a shot at the inaugural crown against Suriname striker Sergio Wielzen four months later.
The Evolve MMA representative showcased the technical mastery forged across 400 professional bouts, as he dropped his foe for good with a crushing left kick to the liver to earn the accolade as the division’s inaugural kingpin.
The Thai veteran’s reign came to an end at the hands of 22-year-old Englishman Jonathan “The General” Haggerty in May 2019. The Brit got the better of him over the course of five rounds to claim the coveted gold.
But instead of asking for a rematch, the living legend moved down to the newly-opened strawweight division. That decision proved to be incredibly fruitful.
Sam-A went on to make history as the promotion’s first-ever two-sport ONE World Champion – first, he edged out “Golden Boy” Wang Junguan in a five-round thriller to capture the inaugural ONE Strawweight Kickboxing World Title in December 2019, and then the Buriram native defeated Rocky Ogden three months later to claim the inaugural ONE Strawweight Muay Thai World Championship.
Haggerty Stuns Thai Legend, Signals Generational Shift
Jonathan “The General” Haggerty‘s reign instantly announced him as a legitimate threat to the very best wizards in Muay Thai.
The Englishman debuted with a chilling display against Lasiri. Then, he did what few could have imagined in his sophomore outing – he dethroned the legendary Sam-A to capture the ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Championship in May 2019.
Haggerty’s technical brilliance and calculated aggression dropped the Thai veteran twice across five rounds and bagged him a unanimous decision victory to become the second king of the 135-pound division and, up until now, the only non-Thai to have ever held the crown.
On top of the world, “The General” instantly called for a fight against a Thai striking maestro whose name would become synonymous with the division’s 26 pounds of gold – Rodtang.
However, Haggerty would drop the gold in his first World Title defense, falling on the wrong side of a razor-close unanimous decision in August 2019. He would lose in the rematch more decisively in January 2020.
Though the Brit continued to compete in the flyweight ranks, he ultimately moved up a division – and like Sam-A, he saw immense success. Haggerty became a two-sport ONE World Champion too, knocking out Nong-O Hama for the ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Title in April 2023 and then finishing Fabricio “Wonder Boy” Andrade seven months later to claim the vacant kickboxing strap.
Rodtang’s Era Of Dominance
Sam-A wrote history. Haggerty showcased his class. Rodtang dominated.
The Thai emerged as the division’s greatest kingpin by capturing the ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Championship from Haggerty in their first meeting in August 2019.
After acing his first test, Rodtang scored a third-round TKO of “The General” in their rematch five months later, ruling over the 135-pound division for years to come.
“The Iron Man” displayed the relentless pressure, devastating power, and entertainment value that made him one of ONE Championship’s biggest superstars, defending his throne successfully five times.
From technical strikers to aggressive brawlers, Rodtang found ways to break them all. His signature combination of suffocating forward pressure, granite chin, and finishing instinct was poetry in motion.
Rodtang was ultimately stripped of the ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Championship in November 2024, as he failed to make weight and pass hydration for his World Title defense against Jacob Smith. The Brit was still eligible to win the belt, but the Thai megastar defeated him over the course of five rounds to earn a unanimous decision. The belt has been vacant ever since.
The Vacant Throne Awaits Its New King
Thai stars Rodtang Jitmuangnon and Nong-O Hama were set to battle for the vacant crown at ONE 173 in Tokyo last November, but ultimately, the match didn’t happen.
After passing weight and hydration, “The Iron Man” withdrew due to feeling unwell and was taken to a local hospital. Meanwhile, Nong-O failed to pass weight and hydration, effectively cancelling the bout.
But now, four months later, the division will crown its fourth World Champion when Nong-O faces undefeated Russian destroyer Asadula Imangazaliev at ONE Friday Fights 147.
The legend of Nong-O needs no introduction. The former eight-time ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion brings a pedigree few can match, including 267 career wins.
At 39 years old, the Evolve MMA representative has found new life at flyweight. After a narrow split-decision loss to Kongthoranee Sor Sommai in February 2025, he produced a dominant redemption win in their rematch three months later.
Victory would elevate Nong-O into the rarefied air of two-division ONE World Champions and cement his Hall of Fame legacy.
Standing in his way is a young destroyer leaving carnage in his wake. Imangazaliev has demolished 11 opponents without defeat, collecting highlight-reel finishes along the way.
The 22-year-old Russian earned his six-figure contract after smashing seven-time Muay Thai World Champion “The Angel Warrior” Panpayak Jitmuangnon with a jaw-dropping head kick knockout. He continued his rampage by brutalizing Kongthoranee with body punches in January, earning a US$50,000 bonus and the crack at the belt.
On March 20, Imangazaliev has a chance to earn the biggest victory of his career and immortalize himself as a ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion.
