Superlek Jonathan Haggerty ONE 168: WATCH: Flyweight kickboxing king Superlek Kiatmoo9 shows Tagir Khalilov the hefty price of getting on his bad side

ONE flyweight kickboxing world champion Superlek Kiatmoo9 is happy to show what happens when his opponents get cocky in the lead-up to their fight.

During their final faceoff ahead of ONE Fight Night 12 in July 2023, Russian star Tagir Khalilov proclaimed that he had enough knockout power to send 'The Kicking Machine' to sleep in their 135.25-pound catchweight Muay Thai battle.

The Thai hero took such comments personally and brutalized 'Samingpri' from the start of their bout, eventually scoring a TKO finish in the second round.

Check out Superlek's TKO win over Tagir Khalilov below, as shared by ONE on Instagram:

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This performance marked the seventh straight victory for the Kiatmoo9 Gym product. He later improved it to 10 straight with triumphant outings over ONE flyweight Muay Thai world champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon, Japanese megastar Takeru Segawa, and the hard-hitting Kongthoranee Sor Sommai.

In just a few weeks, Superlek will have the opportunity to become a two-sport ONE world champion as he challenges Jonathan Haggerty for the ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world championship at ONE 168: Denver on September 6 inside the Ball Arena.

Jonathan Haggerty shares his main goal in ONE 168 world title defense

Jonathan Haggerty, who also holds the ONE bantamweight kickboxing world championship, believes that a perfect defense of the ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world championship against Superlek at ONE 168 on September 6 will have fans in the United States clamoring to see him fight live again.

Speaking with The Sporting News, 'The General' said the following about his upcoming bout inside the Ball Arena:

"[When it's over], I want the US fans to be saying, 'We want him back, we want Haggerty back.' That's what I'm coming to do."

Watch ONE 168 live inside the Ball Arena on September 6 by purchasing tickets via Ticketmaster.

About the author

Karl has been an MMA writer at Sportskeeda since 2023. He holds a Bachelor of Arts major in history, which helps him pay attention to the finer details while writing, and also has first-hand experience in boxing. He has a total experience of 5 years, and has worked for the International Business Times.

Karl turned into an MMA fan back in 2011 after watching Tito Ortiz defeat Ryan Bader via first-round submission at UFC 132. He has interviewed ONE world champions like Eduard Folayang, Joshua Pacio, Stamp Fairtex, and Tawanchai in his career so far.

On the non-MMA side of things, he interviewed WWE superstar Matt Riddle in 2021 and his question about Roman Reigns elicited an interesting answer which was widely covered by outlets like Sportskeeda and Cultaholic Wrestling's YouTube channel. He has also interviewed NBA stars Dwight Howard, Nick Young, Andre Roberson, Shabazz Muhammad, Jason Williams and Brian Scalabrine plus Filipino women's volleyball star Alyssa Valdez.

Karl ensures to double-check facts before using them in articles, and reads up on potential topics for pieces a day before. In his off time, he likes to play video games, and keep up with basketball and pro wrestling.

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Edited by Harvey Leonard