Jonathan Haggerty Injured, Nabil Anane To Face Hiromi Wajima In Featherweight Kickboxing At ONE 173
ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion Nabil Anane will be taking on a new challenge at ONE 173: Superbon vs. Noiri on Sunday, November 16.
The 6-foot-4 phenom was originally scheduled to defend his coveted belt against former titleholder and reigning ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Champion Jonathan “The General” Haggerty at the blockbuster event, but an injury has forced the Londoner out of the contest.
Instead, Anane will move up a weight class to face former three-time K-1 Champion Hiromi Wajima in a featherweight kickboxing showdown at Tokyo’s Ariake Arena.
After falling to pound-for-pound great Superlek at flyweight in his promotional debut in June 2023, Anane roared back with a vengeance.
The Thai-Algerian giant would move up a weight class, rattle off five straight wins, and then knock out Scottish powerhouse Nico Carrillo to claim the ONE Interim Bantamweight Muay Thai World Title at ONE 170 in Bangkok, Thailand, this past January.
Then, two months later at ONE 172 in Japan, he earned a slice of revenge when he ripped through Superlek – who was stripped of the ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Title due to missing weight for their rematch a day earlier – to secure a unanimous decision victory. Anane would be elevated from interim king to undisputed champ later in June.
Anane made the switch to kickboxing in September, facing #2-ranked bantamweight contender and former ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Champion Ilias Ennahachi.
The towering striker looked incredible in his first kickboxing match under the ONE Championship banner, as he knocked down Ennahachi in the first round and unleashed a barrage of punches, kicks, and knees in the second frame. But an accidental kick to the groin halted the proceedings, leading to a no contest.
Now, with Haggerty sidelined with an injury, the 21-year-old will courageously move up a weight class and continue his kickboxing campaign against another seasoned veteran of the sport.
Earlier this month, Wajima officially signed with ONE Championship and now, he begins his charge toward the organization’s top-five featherweight kickboxing rankings.
The Japanese star, who owns a 22-6 record with an 82 percent knockout rate, claimed the K-1 Super Welterweight Title by finishing longtime rival Minoru Kimura in their trilogy in December 2021.
Wajima enjoyed back-to-back title defenses in 2023, and though he lost the belt later in the year, he would rebound in grand fashion. The 30-year-old is riding a two-bout winning streak, and if he can add Anane’s name to his list of victims, it will raise his stock even higher.
Stay tuned to onefc.com for more news about ONE 173: Superbon vs. Noiri.
