Superlek Kiatmoo9 vs. Nabil Anane II added to ONE 172

Two-sport, two-division ONE World Champion Superlek Kiatmoo9 will defend his bantamweight Muay Thai crown in a unification bout with interim king Nabil Anane.   

The pair will square off at ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang on Sunday, March 23, inside Japan’s iconic Saitama Super Arena. 

The announcement comes after Anane shocked the world by knocking out #2-ranked bantamweight Muay Thai contender Nico Carrillo at ONE 170. The Thai-Algerian needed less than three minutes to pick up the interim strap in remarkable fashion. 

Now, he’s on the brink of superstardom. But it will be no small task trying to defeat Superlek. “The Kicking Machine” has been on a different level in recent times.  

The Thai king rides an 11-fight winning streak into their upcoming contest, having been untouchable on the way to his throne. With that said, though, Anane is confident and ready to disrupt his compatriot. 

“Thank you so much you guys,” Anane said on Instagram.  

“My greatest team, we have won together, and this is only the first step, much more coming, Inshallah.”

The road to Superlek versus Nabil Anane II

ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion Superlek Kiatmoo9 and interim titleholder Nabil Anane have been on a collision course for quite some time. 

The pair first crossed paths at ONE Friday Fights 22 in June 2023. There, “The Kicking Machine” made light work of Anane inside one frame. Since then, though, Anane has established himself as a true star by amassing a six-fight winning streak. 

He beat stars like Muangthai PK Saenchai, Nakrob Fairtex, and former ONE World Title challenger Felipe Lobo. 

Meanwhile, Superlek’s trajectory has been incomparable. He went on a five-fight run after facing Anane, beating Rodtang Jitmuangnon and Takeru Segawa along the way.  

His streak then led to him snatching ONE bantamweight Muay Thai gold from reigning kickboxing king Jonathan Haggerty in just 49 seconds.