ONE Interim Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion Nabil Anane delivered a masterclass against former two-division, two-sport king Superlek Kiatmoo9 on Sunday, March 23, at Saitama Super Arena in Japan.
The towering Algerian-Thai fighter controlled his Thai opponent across three rounds to earn a unanimous decision victory at ONE 172. In doing so, he avenged his first-round loss from their initial meeting two years ago.
What was originally scheduled as a title unification bout became a non-title affair when Superlek failed to make weight and pass the hydration test. This resulted in him being stripped of the bantamweight Muay Thai title.
Despite the belt being off the table, Anane’s victory represents the most significant achievement of his career. After the win, the 20-year-old firmly established himself as the division’s top fighter.
“Yes, winning [against] Superlek means a lot to me. It means very, very much to me, because this was my dream and my first goal, and I have achieved it,” Anane said. “I feel bad that it wasn’t a match with a title.”
The 6-foot-4 phenom expressed frustration over missing the opportunity to secure the undisputed title. That said, he remains focused on claiming the vacant championship in his next bout.
“I had a lot of sacrifices also for this fight, because Superlek was, to beat him, to fight him and win, was one of my goals. But I thought that I would have the title also, I would have the belt here or there. But it’s okay — next time,” Anane said.
ONE Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong wasted no time addressing the future of the division following Anane’s breakthrough performance.
“I think the next fight that makes sense is a World Title fight between Nabil and Superlek, a full five-rounder,” Sityodtong said, setting the stage for what would be a high-stakes trilogy bout with the vacant bantamweight Muay Thai crown on the line.