Seeing other fighters reach the top of the mountain brought out the absolute best in reigning two-sport king Superlek Kiatmoo9.
Aside from being perhaps the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world right now, 'The Kicking Machine' is the holder of both the ONE flyweight kickboxing and ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world titles — the latter of which he captured via a stunning 49-second knockout of Jonathan Haggerty at ONE 168 in Denver, Colorado.
During a recent appearance on Nickynachat, Superlek offered some insight in what ultimately drove him to go from a world-class striker to a two-sport ONE world champion:
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"When I entered ONE Championship, I saw other champions. I saw them as world-class. It made me shift my focus to perform better."
Check out Superlek's comments below:
Superlek will look to once again prove himself as the best in the world when he steps back inside the Circle on Sunday, March 23.
Superlek meets Nabil Anane in massive title unification clash at ONE 172
Emanating from the legendary Saitama Super Arena in Japan, ONE 172 will see Superlek put his ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world championship on the line in one of the most anticipated rematches of 2025.
6'4" Algerian-Thai sensation Nabil Anane came up short in his promotional debut against Superlek in June 2023. Since then, Anane has scored six straight wins, including his spectacular knockout performance against Nico Carrillo at ONE 170 to claim the ONE interim bantamweight Muay Thai world title.
Now, Anane will have the chance at both redemption and trading in his provisional title for undisputed gold when he runs it back with 'The Kicking Machine' at ONE 172 next month.
Will Anane even the series and hand Superlek his first loss in the art of eight limbs under the ONE banner, or will the Thai superstar go two-up on the fast-rising 20-year-old?
ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang will emanate from the Saitama Super Arena in Japan, on Sunday, March 23. Head over to watch.onefc.com to learn more about how you can watch the event live.