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Nabil Anane has always wanted to be a world champion throughout his martial arts journey. That is why when it fully became a reality, he was over the moon.
The 21-year-old Thai-Algerian sensation shed the "interim" label to his bantamweight Muay Thai world title after he was elevated as the undisputed divisional king. It happened at ONE Friday Fights 114 on June 27 at the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
As he took the ring to join his younger brother Yonis, who he cornered for and had a winning ONE Championship debut at the Lumpinee event, ONE commentator Mitch Chilson informed Anane that he was no longer an interim champion, getting the 6-foot-4 fighter all excited.
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During the post-fight press conference for ONE Friday Fights 114, Nabil Anane described what he felt. He said:
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"I was even happier, man. My legs were shaking, I couldn't speak. Normally, I'm a fluent speaker. When I'm on stage, I'm always talking smoothly. But this time, I was completely lost. My legs were shaking, my whole body was trembling, I was so happy. I just held up the belt, didn't say anything, I was just over the moon."
Nabil Anane became interim champion in January after he dominated Scottish striker Nico Carrillo with an opening-round TKO win by way of three explosive knockdowns.
It earned him a unification match slated for March against the then-reigning world champion Superlek Kiatmoo9. The latter, however, was stripped of the title after missing weight and hydration in the weigh-ins, leaving the title vacated.
The showdown between the two still proceeded, but as a three-round non-title joust, where Anane lorded in en route to a convincing decision win.
Nabil Anane wants to be an active world champion
Now a full-fledged ONE world champion, Nabil Anane wants to be an active one and vows not to shy away from any challenge.
He made this known in the same press conference following ONE Friday Fights 114, highlighting that as world champion, he is up for the challenge of defending the belt against anybody.
The Team Mehdi Zatout star said:
"Defend it [the belt]. Anyone who wants the belt has to fight me. Now I'm number one. Anyone who wants it, just make sure you don’t miss the weight, that's enough."
Apart from becoming one of the latest ONE world champions, Anane is also among the streaking fighters in the promotion, winning his last seven matches in just inside a year and a half.
