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Nabil Anane believes his improved striking and power played the biggest role in his victory over Superlek Kiatmoo9 at ONE 172.
When Anane made his promotional debut against 'The Kicking Machine' nearly two years ago, he found himself in way over his head. In the end, Superlek only needed 123 seconds to put away Anane back at ONE Friday Fights 22.
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But instead of buying into the notion that he wasn't good enough to compete on martial arts' biggest global stage, Anane went home and got back to work.
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Less than two years later, Anane is sitting on a seven-fight win streak and currently holds the ONE interim bantamweight Muay Thai world championship, and his last win inside the ring came against none other than Superlek.
Anane evened the series at ONE 172 in Japan, scoring a decisive decision victory over 'The Kicking Machine' and establishing himself as the top-ranked fighter in the division.
Looking back on the performance during an appearance on Nickynachat, Anane said:
"Maybe one of the differences was that I was able to strike better with more power. Yeah, I would say that was the difference in this Superlek [rematch]. It wasn’t easy, but I did it."
Nabil Anane thinks his knockout of Nico Carrillo at ONE 170 is where everything started to change
While Nabil Anane's win over Superlek was a massive turning point in the 21-year-old's Muay Thai career, his shocking first-round knockout over Nico Carrillo in January is where Anane started to see his status shift from prospect to superstar.
"Yeah, my knockout win over [Carrillo] showed that I’m a changed person who has more experience, I’m older, fitter, and everything is better," Anane said.
Still holding things down as the bantamweight division's interim titleholder, Anane is waiting to find out what comes next, though ONE CEO Chatri Sityodtong made it pretty clear what that will be.
"They're gonna run it back," Sityodtong said in March following Superlek and Anane's rematch in Japan. "And let's see five rounds. And, yeah, Nabil is a nightmare for any fighter. It doesn't matter who you are."
Are you excited to see Superlek vs. Anane 3 in 2025?
If you missed any of the action, you can watch the full ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang replay on demand via watch.onefc.com.
