"Superlek’s elbow make the difference" - Eduard Folayang on Superlek's win over Taiki Naito at ONE 157

The ONE Muay Thai Flyweight Grand Prix kicked off at ONE 157 and Superlek Kiatmoo9 defeated Taiki Naito via unanimous decision. It was a great Muay Thai bout wherein 'The Kicking Machine' began to dominate the fight when he started to use his elbows.

Former ONE titleholder Eduard Folayang commented on the bout and pointed out how elbow strikes from the Thai-born fighter were winning the fight. On Twitter, he said:

"Superlek’s elbow make the difference between the good defense of naito to win the quarter final of muaythai flyweight grandprix. Main card starting for a moment…"

The elbows were so significant that ONE Championship put together a highlight reel.

Watch the video below:

After his impressive victory, the Thai fighter moves to the next round of the ONE Muay Thai Flyweight Grand Prix. He is set to face Brazil's Walter Goncalves in the semi-finals.

Goncalves won his first match of the tournament, having knocked out Josue Cruz just thirty-five seconds into round one. Goncalves and S. Kiatmoo9 will meet later in 2022.

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Superlek on his recent victory

'The Kicking Machine' S. Kiatmuu9 said as little as possible in victory. He seemed disappointed that he was unable to get a finish in the fight. After the bout, in the post-fight press conference, the Thai fighter said:

"It's not [the] best, as I had planned for tonight. But I'm very happy that I did it. I achieved my goal. Since this is ONE Championship, I am very happy with the result tonight."

He is certainly no stranger to victory, holding an impressive record of 129 wins with only 29 losses. He has also held multiple titles in Lumpinee Stadium, Professional Boxing Association of Thailand, WBC Super Featherweight World Champion, and recently in 2022 he won the Petchyindee True4U championship.

Superlek, along with the flyweight champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon, are the favorites to win the 2022 Grand Prix. The ONE Championship tournament will continue later this year.