ONE Championship: “He inspires me again to be in this division” - Superlek says Nong-O’s flyweight move brings excitement to the weight class

Former bantamweight Muay Thai king and current ONE flyweight kickboxing world champion 'The Kicking Machine' Superlek Kiatmoo9 believes his countryman, legendary fighter Nong-O Hama's move to flyweight opens up a myriad of exciting matchups.

Nong-O, the former ONE bantamweight Muay Thai king, recently made the move to flyweight and has already taken up the No.3 ranking in the division following a recent win over Kongthoranee Sor Sommai.

Superlek says Nong-O's decision has excited a lot of people, including himself.

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'The Kicking Machine' told South China Morning Post in a recent interview:

"When I heard the news that he has gone down to flyweight, I got really excited I felt like ‘Oh that's another great fighter in the division’ and I really - I still really want to fight flyweight or kickboxing flyweight I just still want to be in that division. So I just got really excited. I feel like he inspires me again to be in this division."

Could we see Superlek and Nong-O face off in the ring sometime down the line? Fans would certainly want to see that fight in ONE Championship.

Superlek Kiatmoo9 says no issue fighting 'brother' Nong-O Hama: "One day it would be inevitable for me and him to face each other"

'The Kicking Machine' Superlek Kiatmoo9 believes a showdown with close friend and mentor Nong-O Hama isn't just likely, it's bound to happen. And he has no problem with it.

He told South China Morning Post:

"I think, you know, one day it would be inevitable for me and him to face each other one day. But as he said you know we are all professionals. I believe that if we face each other one day, Nong-O will come onto the ring, and then he will be professional, and I will also do my best. But then, like you know, outside of the ring, we are still brothers."

Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for all the latest news and updates surrounding Superlek Kiatmoo9's next fight.

About the author

Dan is an MMA writer with 10+ years of overall experience. Before his ongoing tenure at Sportskeeda, Dan got the opportunity to be at the forefront of the sport by contributing to ONE Championship and Fight Game Asia. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology.

Dan’s connection to MMA started during the early days of the UFC and ONE Championship. He previously practiced boxing and ranks Demetrious Johnson, Anderson Silva, Georges St-Pierre, Jon Jones, and Fedor Emelianenko as the top five MMA fighters of all time.

He has covered several events onsite and on the ground for ONE Championship and hopes to continue doing so. He ensures that he churns out accurate articles by citing only legitimate sources and getting firsthand accounts through exclusive interviews whenever required.

Dan feels MMA fighter pay seems like an issue because it often gets compared to what fighters earn in boxing but that MMA will eventually catch up in the future.

His other interests include soccer and video games.

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Edited by C. Nayak