Superlek Kiatmoo9 and Panpayak Jitmuangnon battle in the flyweight Muay Thai World Grand Prix final

‘The Kicking Machine’ Superlek Kiatmoo9 and Panpayak Jitmuangnon will meet in the final of the ONE flyweight Muay Thai World Grand Prix tournament on October 21 at ONE on Prime Video 3.

Superlek earned his way to the tournament final starting with a win over Taiki Naito at ONE 157 in May. From there, he scored an impressive first-round knockout of Walter Goncalves. ‘The Kicking Machine’ only needed 1:35 to put away the Brazilian semi-finalist, punching his ticket to the championship bout.

For Panpayak, the path to the tournament final was a much simpler journey. Originally omitted from the eight-man bracket, Panpayak found himself thrust into the semi-final round of the tournament at ONE on Prime Video 1, facing Savvas Michael. The Cypriot was originally scheduled to face ‘The Iron Man’ Rodtang Jitmuangnon, but the reigning flyweight Muay Thai world champion was forced to withdraw, opening up the opportunity for Panpayak.

The seven-time Muay Thai world champion made the most of his opportunity, knocking out Michael 10 seconds into the second round to secure his spot in the finals with the always dangerous Superlek.

Now the two will square off with the World Grand Prix crown and a shot at ONE Championship gold on the line.

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Superlek Kiatmoo9 and Panpayak Jitmuangnon’s tournament final will be a rematch from 2020

With almost 380 career wins between the two, the World Grand Prix final between Superlek Kiatmoo9 and Panpayak Jitmuangnon is sure to be an explosive matchup. However, some may not realize that their tournament clash will be a rematch from their bout during the summer of 2020.

Panpayak and ‘The Kicking Machine’ previously met at ONE: No Surrender, with Superlek scoring a unanimous decision victory over ‘The Angel Warrior.’ It was Panpayak’s first and thus far, only loss inside the circle.

Not only has fate given Panpayak the opportunity to avenge that lone loss, but he will also have a chance to secure a world title opportunity against reigning champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon in the future.

Superlek Kiatmoo9, meanwhile, enters the bout with a spotless record of 5-0 inside the circle. He, by all accounts, appeared to be on a collision course with ‘The Iron Man’, who was on the opposite side of the tournament bracket when it first got underway.

Rodtang’s withdrawal at ONE on Prime Video 1, though, may have delayed that dream match. Nevertheless, a victory for Superlek on October 21 will make their meeting inevitable.