‘This Is Life-Changing’ – Danial Williams Fired Up For Surprise World Title Challenge Of Superlek
While Danial Williams only received the call to face Superlek Kiatmoo9 a few days ago, he’s dreamed about this matchup for a long time.
This Friday, “Mini T” will challenge Superlek for the ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Title at ONE Fight Night 8 on Prime Video – something he always believed might happen after being booked to compete on the card.
The Thai-Australian striker was originally set to face Rui Botelho in a strawweight Muay Thai clash at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
And when Rodtang Jitmuangnon withdrew from his scheduled main event against Superlek due to injury, Williams felt like his true destiny had arrived.
The former WMC Muay Thai World Champion said:
“I’ll be completely honest. Through this whole camp I was like, ‘Oh, Rodtang and Superlek are on the card. If one of them pulls out, I’m gonna jump straight in there, that would be awesome.’ I was sort of fantasizing about that.
“And then literally the day before they asked me, I told my missus, ‘I hope Rodtang pulls out.’ Because I know he just got married and he’s got the other fight [against Edgar Tabares at ONE Fight Night 10] in America. It’s weird man, it manifested. It’s just really strange.
“Rodtang’s always done me favors. He raised my stock when I got to fight him, and now he’s stepping out so I can fight Superlek, the other legend in the division. This is awesome. I can only thank him really.”
As Williams referenced, he made his ONE debut in a 2021 Muay Thai Fight of the Year against Rodtang. That contest also came on late notice, but this time, things are different.
Most importantly, “Mini T” has gone through a full fight camp and is firing on all cylinders.
Feeling sharp and with the gas tank to go five rounds, he knows he can push the pace with nothing to lose – but a massive gold belt to gain.
He said:
“This is a blessing in disguise for me because I’ve had a really good camp. When I fought Rodtang, it was really short notice. I’d had a layoff of two years without properly training.
“I’m super confident about the fight and the pressure’s off because I’m going to embrace this week and I’m just going to go for it. I feel like I’ve sort of manifested things like this, so I’ve just got to make the most of it.”
Danial Williams: ‘I Think The Pressure Is On Superlek’
Danial Williams will enter as the underdog in his ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Title clash against Superlek Kiatmoo9, but he likes his chances of producing an upset.
The Perth native doesn’t expect many surprises from the defending king, and although both men come from a Muay Thai background, he believes his fast-paced, pressure style lends itself well to kickboxing.
“Mini T” explained:
“I think Superlek is a real traditional Thai [striker]. I know what to expect from him. He has a really heavy base and power shots.
“But because I feel like he has a really traditional Thai style and it’s kickboxing rules, I think I’ve got a really, really good chance.
“Kickboxing rules are a little bit different to Muay Thai. You’ve got to just land the shots in kickboxing. If I can stay busy and stay on him, I feel like because he throws so much volume, if I can weather some storms then his cardio will drop a little bit.”
Perhaps most importantly, the challenger thinks he will hold a mental advantage in Friday’s showdown.
Superlek is defending his World Title, while Williams is a late replacement with the odds stacked against him – something he fully embraces.
The 29-year-old added:
“I think the pressure is on Superlek. I’m the strawweight guy. I’ve got nothing to lose. He’s got to put on a show, he’s got to make sure he gets the win, he’s the favorite. So, I feel like that’s my advantage. For me, that just gives me massive confidence, because I’m just not stressed about it.
“This is life-changing for me, so I’m going to put on the best performance I can possibly give.”
