Kongthoranee On Rodtang Versus Nong-O Quarterfinal

Kongthoranee Sor Sommai has fought three of the four men competing in the first pair of ONE Flyweight Muay Thai Grand Prix quarterfinals, and those battles inform his view of what happens next.

The Thai contender takes on Taiki Naito in a kickboxing match at ONE Fight Night 49 on November 6, BJPenn.com reports, but his real focus remains the flyweight Muay Thai crown that will go to whoever survives the 2026-2027 Grand Prix tournament.

Experience With Both Men Shapes Grand Prix Prediction

Former champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon clashes with Nong-O Hama on November 13 at Lumpinee Stadium in the opening quarterfinal at The Inner Circle 38. Kongthoranee has history with Nong-O across three fights — he took the first by split verdict before dropping the next two. Rodtang held the division's belt for a five-year stretch before losing it and has not competed in pure Muay Thai since 2024, instead trading kickboxing wins with Takeru Segawa. Kongthoranee gives Rodtang the advantage, telling BJPenn.com he leans 60 percent toward the former titleholder and 40 percent toward Nong-O. "Whoever leaves an opening or makes a mistake is definitely getting dropped," he said.

The second quarterfinal pits champion Asadula Imangazaliev against top contender Aslamjon Ortikov one week later at The Inner Circle 39. Imangazaliev captured the vacant strap by edging Ortikov on a split card in their initial bout. Kongthoranee dropped a decision to Ortikov in October 2025 at ONE Fight Night 36, then suffered a second-round stoppage loss to Imangazaliev two months later. He expects the titleholder's wider arsenal to carry him through the rematch, noting that Ortikov's speed stands out but his defensive gaps remain. "I favor Asadula because he has a much wider variety of strikes," Kongthoranee said, per the report.

Kongthoranee steps into the ring November 6 against Naito.

Photo by Patrick Daley on Unsplash

Original reporting:

• bjpenn.com — Kongthoranee draws on firsthand experience to call both Grand Prix quarterfinals | BJPenn.com