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Superlek 'The Kicking Machine' Kiatmoo9 made it a successful first defense of the ONE flyweight kickboxing world title this past weekend. That was, in large part, down to the hard work he put into training.
The Thai superstar striker retained the kickboxing gold with a third-round knockout of Australian-Thai challenger Danial Williams at ONE Fight Night 8 on Prime Video on March 24 in Singapore.
Superlek once again showed the top-caliber fighter that he is by dominating 'Mini T' in their world title clash. That was despite the fact that he had to recalibrate his game plan after original opponent Rodtang Jitmuangnon pulled out late during fight week because of injury.
The reigning world champion was clinical in tearing down Williams. He pummeled the challenger with telling kicks and knee strikes that effectively muted the late-replacement opponent’s push to get his game going.
Recognizing that he was in control of the fight, Superlek picked things up further in the third round, landing a solid kick to the face of Danial Williams midway into the round that sent him crashing to the mat. The challenger managed to get up only to find the champion, unleashing a flurry of punches that eventually knocked out Williams for good.
Following his victory, the Kiatmoo9 Gym fighter credited the intense training he had for the fight, including how he prepared for any scenario imaginable. He said in the post-event interview:
“I am happy with my performance because I trained very hard [hard for this fight]. I trained intensely, and also I prepared a lot of my game plan. I had a lot of determination to win against any opponent. I feel good about my performance today.”
The KO win earned Superlek a $50,000 performance bonus from ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong and stretched his winning streak in the promotion to five straight.
Superlek learned a lot from ‘very diligent’ Sam-A Gaiyanghadao
Reigning ONE flyweight kickboxing world champion Superlek Kiatmoo9 continued to soar as a fighter following a successful defense of his world title last week in Singapore. It is something he is proud of and shares with the people who helped him to be where he is now.
Among those he is thankful to is former ONE flyweight Muay Thai king Sam-A Gaiyanghadao, who 'The Kicking Machine' shared he learned a lot from, particularly how to be diligent in his craft as a fighter.
In the lead-up to ONE Fight Night 8 on Prime Video on March 24, Superlek spoke of Sam-A in an interview with ONE Championship, saying:
“I [learned] a lot from Sam-A, too. He is a very diligent person. And the way he works hard automatically pushes me to follow him. I learned a lot from sparring with him. He gave me advice… Their teachings are very good...”
The Thai world champion knocked out Australian-Thai challenger Danial Williams at ONE Fight Night 8 to remain the king of the flyweight kickboxing division.
Veteran Sam-A, for his part, made a rousing return to ONE, fashioning out a KO win over Ireland’s Ryan Sheehan in the second round of their Muay Thai showdown at ONE Friday Fights 9 earlier this month.
