‘I Miss This Place’ – Superlek Hyped For Muay Thai Return At Legendary Lumpinee Stadium
This Friday, June 23, ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Champion Superlek Kiatmoo9 will lace up the 4-ounce gloves and return to his Muay Thai roots against 19-year-old phenom Nabil Anane.
Set for the blockbuster ONE Friday Fights 22 card and airing live in Asia primetime, their flyweight showdown will be “The Kicking Machine’s” first bout at the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium since 2017.
The Thai superstar is pumped to once again perform in front of a raucous home-country crowd at the historic Bangkok venue.
Even amid a spectacular two-fight run in kickboxing that’s seen him capture and defend the flyweight crown, the 27-year-old jumped at the chance to compete in his national sport while surrounded by the unique energy of Lumpinee.
Superlek told ONEFC.com why he took this matchup:
“[I switched from kickboxing] because I want to fight at the iconic Lumpinee Stadium. I miss this place. When the ONE team called me and told me that the fight will take place on June 23 at Lumpinee, I was so excited. I accepted the offer immediately.”
Ever since ONE began offering weekly fight cards at Lumpinee Stadium in January, Superlek has been dying to participate and put on a show alongside some of the planet’s top martial artists.
In the meantime, he’s been watching ONE Friday Fights week in and week out, inspired to return to the stadium where he captured his first World Titles more than a decade ago.
“The Kicking Machine” said:
“Every time I watch [ONE Friday Fights], they always hype me up. I want to be part of this program. And I said to myself, ‘Someday, I want to come back to fight at Lumpinee again.’”
Now just days away from his clash with Anane in Bangkok, Superlek says he couldn’t have asked for a better event to make his return.
Along with his own contest, he’s thrilled to share the blockbuster card with a number of legendary Thai heroes and former ONE World Champions:
“This is a historic event of ONE Lumpinee, and I’m sure there will not be an empty seat left. The stadium will be crowded with fans. I’m honored to fight at ONE Lumpinee and be on the same card as many elite fighters like Seksan [Or Kwanmuang], Sam-A [Gaiyanghadao], Prajanchai [PK Saenchai], Superbon [Singha Mawynn], and so on.”
Superlek Won’t Underestimate Anane: ‘The Last Thing I’ll Do’
While he’s very excited to perform at Lumpinee Stadium later this week, Superlek Kiatmoo9 certainly isn’t making the mistake of overlooking his ultra-talented opponent.
Because even though Nabil Anane will be making his ONE debut, that doesn’t mean he’s short on experience or skill.
Standing at a towering 6-foot-2 – which makes him incredibly tall for the 135-pound division – the Team Mehdi Zatout representative is already a historic WBC Muay Thai World Champion. With that in mind, “The Kicking Machine” is taking the teen phenom quite seriously:
“Underestimating my opponent is the last thing I will do. Everyone can make mistakes, and I won’t be careless. I think it is a good test for me to face a rangier striker like him and to see if my game plan works.”
Still, as a reigning ONE World Champion who’s widely regarded as one of the planet’s top pound-for-pound strikers, Superlek knows that most fans expect him to win – and win easily – against a lesser-known foe.
However, he strongly disagrees with that assessment and is prepared for an all-out war with Anane this Friday.
The Kiatmoo9 Gym representative added:
“Some people say he will be an easy task for me. But personally, I think there are no easy fights for me at all. Every opponent coming my way must be good enough, Nabil included.
“I can say that he is the tallest opponent I have ever fought with. Man, it is almost a [7-inch] height difference! Moreover, he’s not only tall but also possesses a variety of weapons.”
