"Cheers to the point he bleeds" - Fans feel Superlek's sheer passion while watching Tawanchai take on Masaaki Noiri at ONE 172

Combat sports fans are always delighted to see fighters competing on the same card cheer each other on. At ONE 172 on Sunday, March 23, ONE flyweight kickboxing world champion Superlek Kiatmoo9 did just that for his fellow Thai star Tawanchai PK Saenchai.

In a video shared by ONE on Instagram, 'The Kicking Machine' was in the locker room showing support for the ONE featherweight Muay Thai world champion during his battle with Masaki Noiri over the ONE interim featherweight kickboxing world championship.

Watch the entire video below:

Despite Superlek willing on his compatriot behind the scenes, the 25-year-old superstar suffered a third-round TKO defeat that snapped his nine-fight winning streak.

In the comments section, fans applauded the 29-year-old for his unwavering support for Tawanchai when he needed it most, writing:

"He cheers to the point he bleeds, respect to Superlek."

"Sad to see some of my favorites lose in this card, Great show anyway 🙌👏"

"Superlek is truly For The Boys 🙌🙌"

"This made me tear. Such heart both Superlek and Tawanchai have ❤️"

Screenshot of comments. [ONE Championship/Instagram]

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Superlek also saw his winning streak end at ONE 172

ONE 172 delivered on its promise of an action-packed night of fights across the 13-fight card, but it is an event that Superlek cannot wait to put in the rear-view mirror.

The Kiatmoo9 Gym representative was supposed to fight ONE interim bantamweight Muay Thai world champion Nabil Anane for the undisputed 145-pound Muay Thai crown. However, it was changed to a non-title matchup after Superlek failed the pre-fight hydration test, which caused him to be stripped of the bantamweight Muay Thai gold.

To make matters even worse, Anane thoroughly outclassed him to end his formidable 11-fight winning streak, which began with a unanimous decision thrashing of Taiki Naito in May 2022.