WATCH: The heated rivalry between Muay Thai heavy hitters Superlek Kiatmoo9, Panpayak Jitmuangnon

Superlek Kiatmoo9
The heated rivalry between Muay Thai heavy hitters Superlek Kiatmoo9, Panpayak Jitmuangnon (pictured)

ONE Championship shared the entire two-fight footage of Superlek Kiatmoo9 vs. Panpayak Jitmuangnon on social media.

Throughout their respective careers, Superlek and Panpayak had fought seven times before meeting under the ONE banner. In December 2022, the longtime rivals were matched up for a second time in the promotion in a catchweight Muay Thai bout at ONE 164: Pacio vs. Brooks.

The Muay Thai fighters went to war for another nine minutes in a back-and-forth battle. Once the dust settled, Superlek emerged victorious by split decision, pushing their lifetime series to 4-3-1 in favor of Panpayak.

Over a year later, ONE recently re-posted the entire fight on YouTube with the following caption:

“Before ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Champion Superlek defends his throne against Japanese striking icon Takeru at ONE 165 on January 28, relive his longtime rivalry with fellow Thai sensation Panpayak!”

Since defeating Panpayak, Superlek Kiatmoo9 has continued his Muay Thai and kickboxing dominance, going 5-0 in 2023.

‘The Kicking Machine’ claimed the ONE flyweight kickboxing world title in a slugfest against Daniel Puertas at ONE Fight Night 6. He then had his first defense when he knocked out Danial Williams at ONE Fight Night 8 in March 2023.

Superlek, though, claimed the biggest win of his career when he beat ONE flyweight Muay Thai world champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon via unanimous decision in a non-title bout at ONE Friday Fights 34.

Watch Superlek vs. Panpayak below:

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Why is Superlek Kiatmoo9 fighting Takeru Segawa instead of Rodtang Jitmuangnon?

In early 2023, Japanese kickboxing superstar Takeru Segawa shockingly signed with ONE Championship, instantly getting fans excited for his promotional debut. After several months of rumors, Takeru’s first fight under the ONE banner has officially been scheduled.

On January 28, ONE will travel to Tokyo, Japan, for a highly-anticipated event inside the Ariake Arena for ONE 165. In the main event, Takeru was scheduled to fight Rodtang before the latter pulled out with a severe injury.

As a result, Superlek Kiatmoo9 stepped in and put his ONE flyweight kickboxing world title on the line. Therefore, Takeru has a chance to make an instant impact in the promotion by securing gold in the intriguing stylistic matchup on Sunday.

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