Thai superstar Superlek Kiatmoo9 was focused on his scheduled bid for the bantamweight Muay Thai gold last week in the United States but was also steadily keeping tabs on the other things happening in ONE Championship. Among those was the upcoming showdown between Nabil Anane and Soe Lin Oo later this month in Thailand.
The towering Anane will be featured in a bantamweight Muay Thai clash against Soe Lin Oo at ONE Friday Fights 81 on Sept. 27 at the Lumpinee Stadium. Both men are looking to book a win to extend their respective winning streaks.
In an interview with the South China Morning Post in line with his super title fight against Jonathan Haggerty at ONE 168 in Denver, Colorado, U.S.A., on Sept. 6, Superlek took time to speak about the match between Anane and Soe Lin Oo. He picked the 6'3" Algerian-Thai fighter, who he incidentally defeated in June last year, to win the contest.
'The Kicking Machine' said:
"I think Nabil would be able to win against Soe Lin Oo. Well, Soe Lin Oo is also good, he's very strong, very tough, and he has that power. But Nabil, he has built up his winning streak, and he has also faced the top fighters before this. So I think Nabil has got this. And I feel like, when he first fought me, he just entered ONE not too long ago."
Check out what he had to say below:
If Anane wins at ONE Friday Fights 81, he will follow to 'victory-ville' Superlek, who defeated Haggerty in their all-champion clash at ONE 168: Denver by knockout in the opening round to become a double ONE world champion.
Superlek continues to have Jonathan Haggerty's number
Superlek Kiatmoo9 not only seized the ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world title from Jonathan Haggerty at ONE 168: Denver on Sept. 6 but also maintained his supremacy in their head-to-head duels.
The Buriram, Thailand native scored an impressive opening-round knockout win over Haggerty in their super title fight last week in Denver. It was in addition to his second-round TKO win (referee stoppage/cut) over 'The General' in their first encounter back in 2018, before both of them were part of ONE Championship.
Heading into ONE 168, Haggerty admitted that the first defeat still resonated in him and that he was looking to redeem himself from in their recent rematch. Unfortunately for him, he did not have the opportunity to have an extensive push for it as Superlek finished the contest inside the opening round with a nasty elbow for the KO.
Replay of ONE 168: Denver is available on ONE Championship's YouTube page.