Nabil Anane open to trilogy with Superlek Kiatmoo9: "If he really wants to"

ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world champion Nabil Anane has left the door open for a potential trilogy fight with flyweight kickboxing king Superlek Kiatmoo9, though he remains diplomatic about the possibility.

The Thai-Algerian firecracker addressed the prospect of a third encounter with 'The Kicking Machine' during a recent interview with the South China Morning Post.

"Yeah, maybe if it should be, it can be, you know, a trilogy. I don't know. It depends. I think it also depends on Superlek if he really wants to," Nabil Anane shared.

The 21-year-old's measured response suggests he's willing to complete the trilogy but isn't actively pursuing the matchup at this stage of his career.

In their last meeting, the six-foot-four behemoth put on a career-defining display to overcome his old tormentor at ONE 172 inside the sold-out Saitama Super Arena.

The Team Mehdi Zatout warrior dropped 'The Kicking Machine' to the canvas once and controlled a large portion of the fight to take home a well-deserved unanimous decision win in "The Land of the Rising Sun." Superlek, meanwhile, finished Anane in their first encounter on ONE Friday Fights.

A trilogy remains a tantalizing possibility that could materialize if both ONE world champions express genuine interest in settling their rivalry once and for all.

Watch Anane's full interview with the South China Morning Post below:

---

Nabil Anane says it was his destiny to exact revenge against Superlek

Nabil Anane believes that he would have crossed paths with Superlek one way or the other on the global stage of ONE Championship.

After dropping a knockout loss to the Kiatmoo9 Gym martial artist in his debut, which was contested at flyweight, the young star moved up to bantamweight and has since won every assignment.

Superlek did make the switch to bantamweight, too, to challenge Jonathan Haggerty at ONE 168: Denver. He conquered the Englishman in the first round of their tie to become the ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world champion. From there, Anane felt a rematch was inevitable.

"Superlek moved up to the 145 weight class, just like me. So, eventually, I had the chance to show him. If he hadn't increased to 145, I wouldn't have had the chance to show him that I have evolved. But the opportunity came and I did it. I'm very happy. Now I have to wait for my next test."