"Now I’m number one" - Nabil Anane issues open challenge to entire bantamweight Muay Thai division

Thai-Algerian standout Nabil Anane is ready to begin his reign as undisputed ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world champion. He expressed readiness for all comers who want to challenge him for the championship belt.

The 21-year-old phenom became the undisputed champion from interim at ONE Friday Fights 114 on June 27 at the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, after he cornered his younger brother Yonis in his ONE Championship debut. He admitted to being surprised by it, but something he truly welcomed.

In the post-event press conference for ONE Friday Fights 114, Anane shared his thoughts on being elevated to "undisputed champion" status and how he intends to approach his reign.

The Team Mehdi Zatout representative 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."

Nabil Anane bagged the interim bantamweight Muay Thai belt in January at ONE 170, where he dominated Scottish striker Nico Carrillo on his way to an opening-round TKO victory (three knockdowns).

He was supposed to fight former world champion Superlek Kiatmoo9 in a unification title match in March. It, however, was restructured as a non-title bout after 'The Kicking Machine' missed weight and hydration in the official weigh-ins and was stripped of the title. Anane won the contest convincingly by decision.

Meanwhile, ONE Friday Fights 114 was a double celebration for the Anane family and Team Mehdi Zatout, as Nabil became the undisputed champion, and Yonis, 17, also won in his debut, defeating Liu Junchao of China via decision in their three-round strawweight Muay Thai clash.

The full replay of ONE Friday Fights 114 is available via ONE Championship's Facebook and YouTube channels, as well as the ONE Super App and via watch.onefc.com.

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Nabil Anane takes pride in Yonis's victorious ONE debut

Newly minted undisputed ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world champion Nabil Anane is proud of his brother Yonis's victory in his ONE Championship debut last week at ONE Friday Fights 114, but urged his younger sibling to continue working on his game.

Yonis defeated China's Liu Junchao in their three-round strawweight Muay Thai joust at the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, last week.

At ONE Friday Fights 114, the younger Anane had his struggles but held his own against fellow up-and-coming fighter Liu.

In an interview with The Bangkok Post, Nabil Anane expressed pride for Yonis's win but gave a fair assessment of the performance.

He said:

"I’d give it a six out of 10. Just pass the half, just a little bit. He won; that’s the result. But the thing that’s more important is to know what you didn’t do well, and to go back and learn from it, you know. That’s the main thing - all the mistakes, go back and correct them."

Check out what he had to say below:

Like Nabil, the whole Anane family is behind the martial arts journey of Yonis.