Youth Vs. Experience: Nabil Anane And Petchtanong Preview Kickboxing Showdown At ONE Fight Night 26
ONE Fight Night 26: Lee vs. Rasulov on Prime Video will feature an intriguing bantamweight kickboxing matchup between the new and old guards, as surging phenom Nabil Anane will battle decorated veteran and former divisional king Petchtanong Petchfergus.
Set to air live in U.S. primetime this Friday, December 6, that showdown could produce the next challenger for reigning ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Champion Jonathan “The General” Haggerty.
Before Anane and Petchtanong go toe-to-toe at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, both fighters spoke to onefc.com about their high-stakes matchup.
Anane: ‘Let’s See If My Height Can Win’
At just 20 years old, the towering Anane comes into the bout riding an impressive fight-fight winning streak that has established him as one of the planet’s most feared rising stars and the #5-ranked bantamweight Muay Thai contender.
He’s now throwing himself into the deep end for his ONE kickboxing debut. After all, Petchtanong is a veteran of well over 400 career fights – many of which came under kickboxing rules against elite competition.
Anane is embracing the massive opportunity and plans to rely on his 6-foot-4 frame to deal with his much more experienced opponent:
“I feel honored to fight Petchtanong because he is a former ONE World Champion. It’s a good chance for me to prove myself. If I can get the win over him, I will be considered one of the top fighters in kickboxing.
“Petchtanong was in this profession before I was born. When I started Muay Thai, he had already fought more than 100 fights. That’s my disadvantage. The only advantage I have over Petchtanong is height – let’s see if my height can win.”
The young Thai-Algerian is quick to heap praise on Petchtanong for his seemingly unmatched technical prowess, knowing the 39-year-old veteran holds the edge on paper.
Still, Anane is confident that his 7-inch height advantage, coupled with some crafty surprises he’ll reveal on fight night, can carry him to victory:
“His weapons are at the master level. He already has every weapon in his arsenal. Kickboxing is his forte, and he knows what he has to do.
“In every fight, no matter who I fight, I always have the advantage of height. As for experience and everything else, I am at a disadvantage. This fight is the same. Personally, I think this fight will not be an easy task for me, but I have some tricks up my sleeve for him.”
Ultimately, Anane is happy to admit that he’s the underdog against Petchtanong – but that’s exactly what makes him so dangerous.
Although he’s primarily known as a Muay Thai fighter, the young striker said that fans can expect to see a new style from him under kickboxing rules:
“I have nothing to lose in this fight. This is my first kickboxing fight, while he has fought hundreds of fights.
“In this fight, fans will see a Nabil who will be quite different from when he fought Muay Thai. You may see me throw more kicks and punches, and fewer knees, depending on the timing. Just wait and see in the ring. But, I guarantee that I will fight differently than when I fight Muay Thai.”
Petchtanong: ‘I Have Nothing To Fear’
Petchtanong Petchfergus also sees Nabil Anane as a challenging opponent, but he is significantly less complimentary of his foe’s overall skills.
Blunt and directly to the point, the Thai spoke about the key dynamics of their upcoming clash at ONE Fight Night 26:
“I see him as a typical fighter. There’s nothing special about him except his height. If our weights are the same, I have nothing to fear. He is skilled and difficult to fight, but I believe that I will use all my experience to handle everything he throws at me.”
If Petchtanong sounds like a man who doesn’t have a care in the world, it’s because he doesn’t.
Given his decades of experience at the highest levels of Muay Thai and kickboxing, the Thai said he stopped feeling pre-fight anxiety years ago. Instead, he believes it’s Anane who should have the jitters:
“I think he should be the one who feels pressure because I am at a disadvantage in terms of size and age.
“I have no pressure in my fight with Nabil. Actually, I stopped pressuring myself about seven or eight years ago. In the past, fighting was very stressful to me. But, as I gained more experience, I told myself that fighting really doesn’t have to be stressful or nerve-racking. Just go out there and have some fun and do your job to the fullest.”
Currently the #3-ranked bantamweight kickboxing contender, Petchtanong knows that a victory in Bangkok could lead to a shot at the World Title he once held.
And while he’s not about to say exactly how his fight against Anane will play out, he can promise that he’ll leave everything in the ring:
“I can’t predict if Nabil will come to trade with me, or if he will be more technical. And me too, I still don’t know if I will come with aggression or a technical approach.
“But in the end, I think that I will definitely do everything possible to win, whether it means moving forward or backward. I will try to do everything to win.”
