“I love you big brother” - Nabil Anane credits coach and mentor Mehdi Zatout for his sublime ONE 172 showing against Superlek

If there was one constant beside Nabil Anane, it's his mentor and coach, Mehdi Zatout.

The Algerian legend is the mastermind behind Anane's surge and the man guiding the ONE interim bantamweight Muay Thai world champion for more than five years.

Zatout was in the corner when Anane exacted revenge on Superlek in their bantamweight Muay Thai showdown at ONE 172 this Sunday at the hallowed Saitama Super Arena.

Once one of most formidable Muay Thai fighters of his generation, Zatout has taken to coaching, and Anane couldn't be more grateful for his "big brother."

Taking to Instagram, Nabil Anane thanked Zatout for helping him unlock his fullest potential in ONE Championship.

Anane posted:

"Thank you so much, my brother. I don’t know what to say ❤️ I love you, big brother. And thanks to those who are always behind me, I really love all of you guys. Without you guys, I wouldn’t be here today. Thank you to my whole team, my coaches. I love you all.❤️❤️❤️ and I can’t forget all of my sponsors that helped me in this fight glad to work with all of you guys. Thank you so much. Thank GOD ❤️☝🏻"

Anane is an impressive 7-1 in ONE Championship, with his lone defeat coming at the hands of Superlek when he made his ONE Championship debut in June 2023.

Superlek, who holds the ONE flyweight kickboxing world title, was scientific in his first-round stoppage of Anane in their Bangkok meeting.

That loss lingered in Anane, and he eventually secured his revenge when he dominated the Thai megastar for the unanimous decision victory at ONE 172.

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Nabil Anane recalls the sacrifices he made while preparing for his match against Superlek

Nabil Anane knew he had to sacrifice when he entered training camp for ONE 172.

A devout Muslim, Anane trained through the holy month of Ramadan, heading into his rematch against Superlek in Saitama.

Anane wasn't allowed to eat or drink while the sun was up, and he had no choice but to start training at midnight.

During the card's post-event press conference, Anane said:

"I trained during Ramadan. It's very difficult for me to adapt my schedule. It was very hard for me, and there were a lot of things that I needed to sacrifice to win. And I feel like I could have done better too, but I sacrificed a lot for this victory over Superlek."