Superlek Relinquishes ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Title To Focus On Recovery
“The Kicking Machine” Superlek has officially relinquished the ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Title.
The Thai superstar announced the difficult decision via his latest Facebook post, noting that he is stepping away from his throne to fully focus on recovering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee.
Superlek wrote in Thai (translated into English):
“After taking some time to reflect and consulting with my team, I have decided to officially vacate the ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Championship.
“Holding this belt has been a tremendous honor and a source of great pride for me. Winning it was not easy—it required enduring exhaustion, pain, and countless challenges. And of course, I dreamed of holding the championship for as long as possible. Thank you to ONE for giving me the opportunity to prove myself on this stage, and thank you to all the fans who have continually supported me and stood by my side. For now, I need to take some time to let my body fully recover, and then I will be back.”
The severe injury occurred during his highly anticipated bantamweight Muay Thai rematch against Abdulla “Smash Boy” Dayakaev at The Inner Circle 25 on August 7, ultimately requiring extensive surgery and a lengthy rehabilitation process.
The setback capped off an incredibly demanding stretch of marquee matchups for the 30-year-old icon. Stepping away from the 26 pounds of kickboxing gold was not an easy decision, but it now gives him the necessary time and space to heal properly before eventually mounting his return to the global stage.
Before this unfortunate chapter, “The Kicking Machine” was in the midst of one of the finest runs the combat sports world has seen in recent memory.
He reeled off an outstanding 15-1 stretch, a dominant streak defined by definitive victories over the absolute biggest names in the world’s largest martial arts organization.
Among those standout performances were blistering first-round knockouts of bantamweight kickboxing king Jonathan “The General” Haggerty and former titleholder Nabil Anane, alongside two instant classics against Japanese kickboxing icon Takeru “Natural Born Krusher” Segawa and former ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion Rodtang “The Iron Man” Jitmuangnon.
That historic stretch also saw Superlek expand his dominance even further. Beyond his flyweight kickboxing reign, he captured the ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Title to become a two-sport ONE World Champion — a rare feat achieved by only a select few in the promotion’s history.
While he was later stripped of that bantamweight crown after missing weight ahead of his rematch with Anane at ONE 172 in March of last year, none of that diminishes his bigger picture of sustained excellence.
Across his storied journey in the promotion, Superlek has firmly established himself as one of the finest pound-for-pound talents the striking world has ever produced. His unrivaled blend of speed, footwork, and elite fight IQ has made him a terrifying threat to anyone who steps across from him in both the kickboxing and Muay Thai realms.
His professional record now sits at an astonishing 139-33, a number that speaks volumes given the absolute highest caliber of opposition he has faced throughout his career.
For now, the Thai superstar’s complete focus turns toward rehabilitation. Fans and fellow martial artists alike are eagerly hoping to see him make a full recovery and eventually rediscover the generational form that made him the gold standard of the striking arts.
Stay tuned to onefc.com for further updates on Superlek’s recovery and eventual return.
