Abdulla Dayakaev And Superlek Set For Highly Anticipated Rematch At The Inner Circle On August 7
ONE Championship has officially confirmed a highly anticipated instant rematch between Russian knockout specialist Abdulla “Smash Boy” Dayakaev and Thai striking icon “The Kicking Machine” Superlek, just months after their controversial split-decision bout left the martial arts world deeply divided.
The blockbuster bantamweight Muay Thai rematch unfolds at The Inner Circle on Friday, August 7. Streaming live in Asia primetime via live.onefc.com from the prestigious Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, the clash provides both elite strikers with the ultimate opportunity to definitively settle their rivalry.
Their first encounter at The Inner Circle on May 15 delivered everything fans had hoped for, and then some. From the opening bell, it was abundantly clear this would be no ordinary fight.
Dayakaev struck first, and he struck hard. A thunderous right hand dropped Superlek for an eight-count in the opening frame, sending a massive shockwave through Lumpinee Stadium. The Thai legend bravely answered the referee’s count and attempted to reestablish his rhythm, but the severe damage of that early knockdown loomed large over the rest of the contest.
However, Superlek responded exactly the way World Champions do. He dramatically increased his output throughout the second round, landing thudding elbows and punishing right kicks while attacking with heavy knees in the clinch to claw his way back into the fight. By the third round, the Thai icon knew exactly what was required.
He came out like a man possessed, targeting Dayakaev’s midsection and ribcage with relentless knee strikes in the clinch, pouring on the forward pressure in a desperate bid to sway the judges decisively in his favor.
The final round clearly belonged to Superlek, but the catastrophic deficit taken in the first round proved too costly to overcome. Two of the three judges awarded the contest to Dayakaev, handing the Dagestan-born striker a razor-close split-decision victory and the absolute biggest win of his professional career.
The very moment the result was announced, the global debate began. Fans, critics, and pundits lined up on both sides of the argument, with many insisting Superlek had done more than enough in the second and third rounds to earn the nod. The judges saw it differently, and their decision stood.
What was agreed upon universally, however, was that neither fighter had been given a definitive answer about where they stood relative to each other, and that a rematch was not just warranted, but absolutely necessary.
Now, that moment arrives. For Dayakaev, a second consecutive victory over Superlek would permanently silence every critic who questioned the legitimacy of the first result and firmly establish the 24-year-old as one of the most dangerous bantamweight Muay Thai contenders on the planet.
For Superlek, the stakes could not possibly be more urgent. The 30-year-old Superlek Muaythai representative carries an astonishing 139-32 career record into the rematch, but three consecutive losses have cast an unfamiliar shadow over the latter stages of a career that once seemed completely untouchable.
