Stamp Fairtex breaks down Superlek and Tagir Khalilov’s biggest weapons ahead of ONE Fight Night 12

ONE women's atomweight superstar and Thai MMA sensation Stamp Fairtex recently gave her two cents on the upcoming clash between ONE flyweight kickboxing world champion Superlek Kiatmoo9 and Russian rising star Tagir Khalilov. The two will do the square dance in a Muay Thai fight in the main event of ONE Fight Night 12 this Friday.

On how the pivotal Muay Thai fight will go, Stamp had this to say:

"I think Superlek has the advantage in terms of his deadly kicks. He can kick smoothly and fast. For Tagir, I used to watch his previous fights, and I see that his punch is something. He doesn’t only have one or two strikes, but he can punch in a nice combination."

Superlek wouldn't be called 'The Kicking Machine' for no reason. He might very well be the best kicker in a sport full of kickers. Stamp is fair to assess that the ONE flyweight kickboxing world champion has the advantage over his challenger when it comes to kicking. He has an advantage over nearly everyone in the world. The only other person who can rival his kicking ability is probably former ONE featherweight kickboxing king Superbon Singha Mawynn.

As for Khalilov, his nickname, 'Samingpri', loosely translates in Javanese as "at the same time". This is absolutely fitting as the Russian striker throws punch combinations so fast that they feel like they're connecting at the same time. Once again, Stamp is on-point with her observation.

It looks like we have a classic kicker vs. puncher battle on this one. If we look at recent match-ups in ONE Championship, the aforementioned Superbon, one of the best kickers in the game, was absolutely starched by a very powerful puncher in Chingiz Allazov.

Conversely, Superlek's last world title defense of his kickboxing throne was against a puncher-striker in Danial Williams. He knocked him out with a head kick.

They say in combat sports that "styles make fights" but no style will ever be better than the other. A man with a dagger can still defeat a man with a broad sword. It will always depend on how well they use their weapons come fight night.

ONE Fight Night 12 goes down at the iconic Luminee Boxing Stadium and will air live and for free to North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.