‘This Fight Will Be Explosive’ – Superlek Braces For Dangerous World Title Matchup With Nabil Anane At ONE 172

Current two-sport, two-weight titleholder “The Kicking Machine” Superlek Kiatmoo9 is preparing for a dangerous test at ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang this Sunday, March 23.

The 29-year-old Thai megastar will put his ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Title on the line against interim kingpin Nabil Anane in a high-stakes rematch at Japan’s iconic Saitama Super Arena, live on pay-per-view.

These strikers first squared off in 2023 when Superlek scored a sensational first-round knockout over the Thai-Algerian phenom, who was making his hotly anticipated promotional debut at just 19 years old.

Since then, the 6-foot-4 Anane has employed his vicious long-range weaponry and savage clinch game to rattle off six straight wins, most recently knocking out Nico Carrillo to claim the ONE Interim Bantamweight Muay Thai World Title and set the stage for this epic World Title unification showdown.

While Superlek admits that Anane has made major improvements since their first fight, he told onefc.com that his young foe doesn’t look much different stylistically:

“Every time Nabil fights, he uses the same style that he lost with against me last time. It’s because other opponents haven’t found a way to get close to him.

“Almost everyone became a victim of Nabil’s clinch and knees, so no one could defeat him.”

Anane has certainly appeared untouchable since suffering his lone defeat in ONE Championship.

So, while Superlek is confident he can beat the Team Mehdi Zatout product once again and become the undisputed bantamweight Muay Thai king, he’s nonetheless expecting a harder fight this time around:

“This rematch will be different from the first fight because it’s a five-round fight with a World Championship belt at stake. This fight will be more exciting and intense.

“Another key factor that will make this fight different is that Nabil is now very hungry and confident. After defeating many top-level fighters, I am confident that Nabil will not give in to me easily this time. It will be a more difficult task for me. It will be interesting to see if I can handle him or not.”

For his part, Superlek has also been dominant since his last battle with Anane.

In addition to non-title wins over Kongthoranee Sor Sommai and Rodtang Jitmuangnon, he successfully defended his flyweight kickboxing crown against Takeru Segawa and won the bantamweight Muay Thai belt with a stunning knockout of Jonathan Haggerty.

Now recognized by many as the planet’s top pound-for-pound striker, the Thai plans to produce another unforgettable show against Anane:

“I don’t want to predict too much. Let’s just say I think the odds this fight doesn’t go the distance are high. I want to showcase a surprising trick that everyone doesn’t expect, which I’ve prepared for, but I can’t reveal it yet. I guarantee this fight will be explosive.”

Superlek Shares His Ambitious Career Goals

Superlek Kiatmoo9 knows that if he can defeat Nabil Anane and unify the ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Title at ONE 172, he’ll have nothing but even more blockbuster opportunities on the horizon.

If he does retain the Muay Thai gold this Sunday, he intends to chase a third ONE belt – whether that’s the ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Title currently held by Jonathan Haggerty or the vacant ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Title formerly owned by Rodtang Jitmuangnon.

He explained:

“This victory is very important because if I can defend my Muay Thai World Title, I can focus on my next goal, such as hunting for Haggerty’s kickboxing belt or moving down to grab the vacant flyweight Muay Thai gold.”

For now, “The Kicking Machine” is supremely focused on conquering the worlds of Muay Thai and kickboxing in both the flyweight and bantamweight divisions, but if that happens, he might even try his hand at the all-around sport of MMA.

Superlek added:

“In the future, if there’s no challenge in Muay Thai and kickboxing for me anymore, I want to try MMA.

“I’ve always thought about it, but right now, I can’t do that because I haven’t achieved all of my goals in Muay Thai and kickboxing, which is to become a two-sport World Champion in both divisions, flyweight and bantamweight.”