Danial Williams looking to "weather some storms" and outlast Superlek

Danial Williams has had less than two days to come up with a good game plan for his upcoming world title clash with Superlek Kiatmoo9.

Filling in as a late replacement for ‘The Iron Man’ Rodtang Jitmuangnon, Williams is laser-focused on drowning out all the outside noise to focus on beating the kickboxing king in Singapore on Friday.

Originally slated to face Rui Botelho in a Muay Thai showdown, the Thai-Australian slugger hopes to adapt to the kickboxing ruleset seamlessly and without fear.

Speaking to ONE Championship about the subject at hand, ‘Mini-T’ began by saying:

“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.”

Indeed, one of Superlek’s greatest weapons are his leg kicks. They can be quite devastating if he’s allowed the space to attack. Williams might do well for himself if he has a chance to rewatch Superlek’s last fight against Daniel Puertas, which took place in Bangkok at ONE Fight Night 6 on Prime Video.

Although Superlek won the bout by decision, the Thai superstar seemed to crumble against Puertas’ pressure. For instance, anytime he was backed against the cage, he found it difficult to counter without throwing in the elbows, which is illegal under the kickboxing ruleset.

Like Williams, ‘The Kicking Machine’ has a hard time adjusting to the rules since he usually competes in Muay Thai. But that’s where Danial Williams’ striking can come into effect. If he weathers the storm in the beginning as he intends, then we could see 'Mini-T' maybe turn things in his favor.

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Danial Williams calls his world title showdown against Superlek “a blessing in disguise”

Despite taking on the fight on such short notice, Danial Williams can’t help but feel like it’s destiny calling.

Previously, ‘Mini-T’ revealed he had big ambitions to become ONE Championship’s first-ever three-sport world champion. In the wake of his announcement, Williams stepped away from MMA for a bit to go back to his roots and fight for a world title in the strawweight division.

In a twisted turn of events, he will now fight Superlek for the ONE flyweight kickboxing world title. Feeling a whirlwind of emotions, Danial Williams doesn’t want to let this career-defining opportunity go to waste.

Speaking to ONE, he said:

“There are fights where you’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain. This is a blessing in disguise for me, because I’ve had a really good camp.”

Watch ONE Fight Night 8: Superlek vs. Williams live and for free on March 24 via Amazon Prime Video.