“A good chance to prove myself” - Rising star Nabil Anane excited to solidify his legitimacy by beating former champ Petchtanong

Nabil Anane plans to "prove himself" against Petchtanong Petchfergus in the ONE Fight Night 26 co-main event.

In June 2023, Anane made his ONE Championship debut, suffering a Muay Thai loss against Superlek. Since then, the 6'4" bantamweight has found tremendous success in "The Art of Eight Limbs" by securing five consecutive wins.

On Friday, December 6, Anane will face a new challenge in ONE by making his promotional kickboxing debut. The 20-year-old is scheduled to face former world champion Petchtanong, who's coming off three consecutive wins.

During an interview with ONE, Nabil Anane said this about what he gains from a win against Petchtanong.

"I feel honored to fight with Petchtanong because he is a former champion. It’s a good chance for me to prove myself. If I can win over him, I will be considered one of the top fighters in kickboxing rules."

ONE Fight Night 26 goes down inside the iconic combat sports venue of Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. Friday's event featuring two world title fights can be seen live and for free by North American and Canadian viewers with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.

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Nabil Anane joins stacked ONE bantamweight kickboxing division

In November 2023, Muay Thai specialist Jonathan Haggerty and ONE bantamweight MMA world champion Fabricio Andrade fought for the vacant bantamweight kickboxing world title.

Haggerty knocked out Andrade in the second round of their ONE Fight Night 16 meeting. Since then, the division has generated several worthy title challengers, making bantamweight one of the deepest divisions in kickboxing.

Over the last seven months, promotional newcomer Wei Rui and former 3x ONE flyweight kickboxing world champion Ilia Ennahachi secured wins against former bantamweight king Hiroki Akimoto.

Rui and Ennahachi could be next in line to face Haggerty or potentially fight each other in a number-one contender bout.

Meanwhile, Petchtanong has won three consecutive fights. With a win against Nabil Anane, he would also have a strong presence in the title picture.

Therefore, Anane has an opportunity to capitalize on number three-ranked Petchtanong's momentum. The 20-year-old could find himself ranked in the bantamweight top five next week with a win at ONE Fight Night 26.