‘I’m Totally Different’ – Nabil Anane Aiming For Revenge Against Superlek In World Title Fight At ONE 172
ONE Interim Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion Nabil Anane is confident that he’ll soon exact revenge on the only man to defeat him in ONE Championship.
On March 23 at ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang, the towering striker will square off with ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion “The Kicking Machine” Superlek Kiatmoo9 in a massive World Title unification showdown at Japan’s iconic Saitama Super Arena.
The pair first collided in the summer of 2023. Then just 19 years old, Anane was the youngest-ever WBC Muay Thai World Champion and making his ONE debut with loads of high expectations on his shoulders.
Superlek, though, gave him a rude welcome to the world’s largest martial arts organization, needing just over two minutes to score the knockout and put a brief pause on the Thai-Algerian’s hype train.
Anane has since rattled off six dominant victories, most recently knocking out Scottish destroyer Nico Carrillo to claim the interim bantamweight Muay Thai crown and secure a rematch with “The Kicking Machine.”
Anane told onefc.com that plenty has changed since he first shared the ring with Superlek:
“Two years ago, I didn’t know nothing about small [4-ounce] gloves. I didn’t have this experience. I’m totally different. Very different. It was a big lesson, and I learned a lot in that fight. I’m sure that it’s not going to be the same this time.”
Indeed, the Team Mehdi Zatout standout has shown incredible improvements in his power, speed, and overall fight IQ over the past couple of years.
Looking back, the 20-year-old is thankful for his defeat to Superlek.
If he hadn’t lost then, he said, he might not be here now, fighting in a monumental World Title bout on one of the organization’s biggest-ever fight cards:
“I’m still learning every day, and what happened to me last time, I wouldn’t let it happen again. It was quite a hard time, but I was just a kid, and I grew up a lot. If I didn’t have that lesson, maybe I wouldn’t be here today. But it happens, you know? I just learn from it and grow up.”
Anane isn’t letting the pressures of this high-stakes, high-profile fight get to him.
Rather than focusing on the 26 pounds of gold at stake, the massive paydays that could lie ahead, or the global fame that would come with a victory at ONE 172, he’s instead only thinking of Superlek and how to defeat him.
He added:
“I’m looking just for the win. I just want to beat Superlek. I don’t even think about the belt. I just want the win. I just want to beat Superlek. That’s it. That’s what I want in this fight.”
Anane Credits Team For Incredible Success
Nabil Anane knows that his training and preparations must be perfect if he plans to defeat Superlek Kiatmoo9 on March 23.
After all, the Thai megastar is a two-sport, two-division ONE World Champion who is recognized by many as the planet’s top pound-for-pound striker.
Anane, though, is finding confidence in the team that’s preparing him for ONE 172:
“Once you are in the ring, it’s just you and your opponent, for sure. But before that, you must work with your team.
“When you are in the gym, when you are at home and everything, you are not alone. You got your people behind you. Got them pushing you, pushing you every day.”
For the young phenom, his team is much more than just sparring partners and a pad man.
He certainly gets in solid work with head coach Medhi Zatout and others in the gym, but he also leans on the unending support of his parents.
Anane’s climb to the top of the Muay Thai world, he said, has been anything but a lonely journey:
“My father is always here watching me train. Chris Foster, he is here holding pads for me. Medhi is also holding pads for me. My mom, she cooks for me every day, lunch and dinner.
“And all of the supporters that support me, that were with me even when I was down, when I was the underdog, they were also with me.”
