Fasting, Fighting, And Sacrifice: How Nabil Anane Prepared For His First World Title Defense During Ramadan
For most athletes, preparing for a World Title defense demands total physical commitment. But for ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion Nabil Anane, his most recent fight camp came with an additional test of discipline.
The 21-year-old, who will defend his crown against surging contender Rambolek Chor Ajalaboon at ONE Friday Fights 147 live in Asia primetime from Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium on March 20, trained for this showdown while observing Ramadan – the holy month during which Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset.
Rather than slowing him down, the timing has only added another layer to an already intense preparation.
The Thai-Algerian titleholder explained:
“If I wanted to fight, I fight. If I didn’t want to fight, I wouldn’t fight, and it’s not an obligation to fight. Because it’s been almost one year since I fought Muay Thai, I just wanted to fight Muay Thai again now.”
The matchup arrives at a moment when Anane has been eager to return to Muay Thai competition.
In 2025, the walking skyscraper competed four times across striking disciplines, with his two most recent appearances happening in the kickboxing realm.
But after spending months competing under those rules, the 6-foot-4 phenom has been itching to return to the sport where he first built his reputation inside the world’s largest martial arts organization.
Training during Ramadan requires careful adjustments, particularly when balancing fasting with a demanding camp.
At Team Mehdi Zatout in Pattaya, Thailand, Anane has shifted much of his preparation into the nighttime hours. That rhythm allows him to maintain the intensity of his sessions while observing the fasting schedule.
He said:
“We train in the evening before Maghrib. Then after we break fast, we wait a little bit and train again at night from around 11 p.m. or midnight until 2 in the morning.”
“When it’s time, I just drink water and eat some dates, and I keep training.”
The Pattaya resident has already proven that he can balance Ramadan preparation with elite-level competition.
When he faced pound-for-pound great “The Kicking Machine” Superlek at ONE 172 in March 2025, that training camp also took place during the fasting month.
Despite the demanding circumstances, Anane delivered the biggest victory of his career. He scored a first-round knockdown against the Thai superstar and then cruised to a unanimous decision win.
Now, he hopes to carry that same formula into his first ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Title defense.
Breaking the fast sometimes happens right in the middle of training, while recovery shifts deeper into the day once the late-night sessions are complete.
Anane said:
“I changed my schedule for sleep also. When I finish my last meal, I sleep and wake up late. It’s like a normal day. Now, it’s already normal because I adapted to everything, so I’m used to it.
“Everything is about eating the same every day and training the same every day, so it’s no problem. Because if you eat less, you don’t have power to train.”
The Quiet Side Of A World Champion’s Camp
While adjusting to Ramadan’s unique training rhythm presents physical challenges, Nabil Anane admits the mental side of training camp can be just as demanding.
Life as a professional fighter often requires sacrifices that extend far beyond the gym. Long training camps, strict routines, and constant preparation often leave little room for the normal rhythms of daily life.
He said:
“When you are in this kind of work, you need to sacrifice. You won’t be like other people. You feel lonely sometimes. I can feel it now.”
During Ramadan, those sacrifices can feel even more pronounced. As his training sessions stretch deeper into the night, the gym environment becomes quieter and more solitary.
Sometimes, the only sounds inside the gym are the sharp cracks of pads echoing through the quiet coastal city.
That reality has been especially noticeable during this particular camp.
At Team Mehdi Zatout, Anane is close with several teammates, including former ONE World Title challenger Sinsamut “Aquaman” Klinmee and Thai striking star PTT Apichart Farm, who will also compete at ONE Friday Fights 147.
Outside of the gym, they often spend time together filming content, grabbing lunch, and unwinding between training sessions. But because their schedules differ during Ramadan, many of them finish their sessions several hours before Anane begins his late-night work.
The bantamweight king said:
“Those who are close with me, they are not training with me. They finish the training already. This camp, I was very lonely.”
For elite fighters chasing greatness, however, solitude often becomes part of the process.
The long hours, the quiet training sessions, and the sacrifices away from ordinary life are all part of the price paid in the pursuit of greatness.
For Anane, that reality is simply something he has learned to accept:
“If you want to know, you just need to do it. You can’t tell. It’s not the same as normal work that people do. It’s hard. It’s harder.”
