Superlek Vs. Panpayak World Grand Prix Championship Final Rescheduled For ONE 164
The ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Grand Prix Championship Final between Superlek Kiatmoo9 and Panpayak Jitmuangnon is officially set for Saturday, December 3.
Although the old rivals have previously fought seven times, their clash at ONE 164: Pacio vs. Brooks will be their biggest match yet, as the winner will claim the tournament’s prestigious silver belt inside the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines.
Panpayak, the #2-ranked flyweight Muay Thai contender, has history on his side. But while “The Angel Warrior” leads 4-2-1 in their series, top-ranked Superlek bested his longtime foe in their last encounter at ONE: NO SURRENDER back in July 2020.
The pair have taken very different routes to the tournament finale.
Superlek’s path was the more obvious one. He started off his campaign with a dominant quarterfinal win over Taiki Naito at ONE 157 this past May and then scored a stunning 95-second knockout victory over Walter Goncalves in the semifinals at ONE on Prime Video 1 three months later.
Now boasting a 6-1 record in ONE Championship – with his only defeat being a controversial decision loss to Ilias Ennahachi for the ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Title – “The Kicking Machine” feels ready to take the Grand Prix silver belt and then challenge for the division’s Muay Thai gold.
Panpayak was originally slated to face Josue Cruz in a tournament alternate bout at ONE 157, but when Jonathan Haggerty was forced to withdraw from his quarterfinals clash with Goncalves, the Mexican striker replaced the Brit. That ultimately left “The Angel Warrior” without a dance partner.
However, when Rodtang Jitmuangnon couldn’t make it to his semifinals fight with Savvas Michael at ONE on Prime Video 1, Panpayak finally got his chance to enter the bracket when he stepped up at the last minute.
The Thai star knocked Michael out with a head kick in round two, punching his ticket to the ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Grand Prix Championship Final.
The matchup between Superlek and Panpayak was originally slated for ONE on Prime Video 3: Lineker vs. Andrade last month, but “The Kicking Machine” got injured, which caused ONE Championship officials to postpone the tournament finale to a later date.
Now, the duo will look to produce a thriller in Manila with the intention of adding a new belt to their bulging trophy cabinets and earning a shot at the ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Title.
Stay tuned to onefc.com for more updates on the ONE 164 fight card.
