“I grew so much” - Nabil Anane says he’s a completely different fighter since first bout with Superlek

Nabil Anane was clipped by Thai superstar Superlek Kitamoo9 in his ONE Championship debut two years ago. The Algerian-Thai phenom, however, said he has improved a lot as a fighter since and he is out to showcase it in their rematch this week.

The interim bantamweight Muay Thai world champion will battle reigning divisional king Superlek in a unification bout at ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang on March 23 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

It is also a rematch of their first encounter in June 2023, where 'The Kicking Machine' knocked out then-ONE-debuting Anane in the opening round.

Speaking to the South China Morning Post ahead of his rematch against Superlek, Nabil Anane underscored how he has improved as a fighter since their first battle, and he is out to exact payback at ONE 172.

He said:

"Yeah, we have fought once, and now I got the chance to get revenge. It’s been only two years, I think, and I grew so much. I changed a lot."

Watch the interview below:

Nabil Anane has backed his claim of marked improvement in his game by winning his next six matches after losing to Superlek. His most recent victory last January over Nico Carrillo of Scotland by TKO in the first round was his biggest to date as it netted him the interim bantamweight Muay Thai belt and earned a unification match against his Thai tormentor.

Superlek-Anane II is one of five world title fights on tap at ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang, which is available live on pay-per-view via watch.onefc.com.

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Nabil Anane says he learned a lot from loss to Superlek in first match

The loss of Nabil Anane to Superlek in their first encounter stung but the former said he learned a lot from it, and it served as primary motivation to improve and be where he is now in his career.

The 6-foot-4 Algerian-Thai fighter spoke about it ahead of his unification match against the ONE bantamweight Muay Thai king, saying:

“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.”

Apart from unifying the ONE bantamweight Muay Thai championship belts, Anane is also out to bring a stop to the 13-fight winning streak of Superlek at ONE 172.