Ilias Ennahachi Believes His Style Will Lead To World Title-Winning Debut
Ilias Ennahachi’s promotional debut could be one for the ages.
For his first appearance in ONE Championship, the Dutch-Moroccan will be featured in the headline attraction and have the opportunity to display his skills against the best flyweight kickboxer on the planet.
Not only will he star in the main event of ONE: DREAMS OF GOLD in Bangkok, Thailand this coming Friday, 16 August, but he will also challenge reigning titleholder “The Baby Shark” Petchdam Petchyindee Academy for the ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Championship.
Ennahachi may be a newcomer to the world’s largest martial arts organization, but his immediate ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Title shot is wholly merited.
The Utrecht, Netherlands resident boasts a stellar 34-3 record, as well as a fleet-of-foot, crowd-pleasing, counter-attacking style. That has also led to 13 victories by way of knockout.
On top of that, he holds six prior World Championships in the sport of kickboxing. He is a four-time Enfusion World Champion, a one-time Blade World Champion, and a one-time WFL World Champion.
Now, he looks to add a seventh belt to his trophy case.
“I’m fighting for the World Title in ONE Championship… how nice would it be to win that in my debut. It looks like [ONE] respects me, and that’s a great feeling,” Ennahachi says.
“It’s my first time, and I’m competing against a superstar and a champion. This gives me power and hunger to show and prove myself to the audience, and to give the people what they want to see.”
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What the audience will see is a young, vibrant talent with extraordinary speed, enormous power, sensational reflexes, and a sharp combat IQ.
In addition to that, Ennahachi will hold no fears about competing on Petchdam’s home ground of Thailand, as he is a truly international operator.
He has traveled to China, Japan, the United Arab Emirates, and all throughout Europe to face the sport’s best competition.
The 23-year-old is a seasoned athlete who has defeated hometown heroes before, and he believes he will do it yet again on 16 August.
“Compared to others in ONE Championship, my motility and style are different. You can’t compare my style to somebody else. I’m a different kind of fighter,” he explains.
“I’m very confident for this fight because I’m 100 percent sure no one is training harder than me.”
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Petchdam, of course, is equally confident heading into this main-event clash.
The 21-year-old Thai is riding a tremendous wave of momentum, as he scored three highlight-reel knockouts in ONE Super Series before claiming the inaugural ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Championship in May.
One of the key instruments behind those victories has been his famed left roundhouse kick, but Ennahachi is not too worried about that. He is well-prepared to deal with that particular weapon.
“I didn’t study him that much, but one thing that I noticed is that he is using his left kick very often,” the Dutch-Moroccan challenger says.
“I’m not going to tell you what his weaknesses are – that’s between me and my coach. But you’ll notice during the fight that my complicated style will make a difference.
“I’m hungry for success – that is what I’ve always told the people around me. Now is the time to prove it and seize this opportunity with both hands.”
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Should Ennahachi upset “The Baby Shark” in front of his hometown crowd and lift the ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Title off his waist on Friday, then it will truly be a moment he — and perhaps all those in attendance inside the Impact Arena — will never forget.
