“I’m ready to be the king” - Felipe Lobo targets divisional supremacy after Nong-O and Nico Carrillo moved to different weight classes

Felipe Lobo is "ready to be the king" of the ONE bantamweight Muay Thai division. In April 2023, Lobo secured the most impressive Muay Thai win in his ONE Championship tenure, a third-round knockout against Saemapetch Fairtex.

Last Friday, Lobo faced Saemapetch in a rematch at ONE Fight Night 28, with both fighters looking to make a statement in the bantamweight division. Despite being an underdog, Lobo emerged victorious once again by third-round knockout, re-solidifying him as a top contender to Superlek's throne.

Following his impressive performance, Lobo did a post-fight interview backstage with Nick Atkin of the Bangkok Post. The Brazilian superstar had this to say about the bantamweight division slightly opening up with Nong-O moving down to flyweight and Nico Carillo moving up to featherweight:

"Yeah, I feel that right now, the division is still very hard, and I’m on the top. I’m ready to be the king."

The replay of ONE Fight Night 28, including Felipe Lobo's knockout win against Saemapetch, can be seen for free by North American and Canadian viewers with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription. The Feb. 7 event took place inside the iconic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand

Check out Lobo's entire interview with Nick Atkin below:

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Where does Felipe Lobo stand in the ONE bantamweight Muay Thai division?

In September 2024, Superlek became a two-sport world champion by knocking out Jonathan Haggerty for the ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world title.

Superlek was scheduled to defend his throne in 'The Art of Eight Limbs' for the first time before pulling out of his bout against Nico Carrillo due to an injury.

As a result, Carrillo fought Nabil Anane for the interim bantamweight Muay Thai world title. Anane won by first-round knockout, leading to the unification world title bout against Superlek at ONE 172 on March 23.

In the meantime, Felipe Lobo could be one win away from a title shot depending on who he fights next. Lobo could potentially face No. 4-ranked Kiamran Nabati, who holds an undefeated promotional record of 5-0.

ONE bantamweight kickboxing world champion Haggerty is also a potential opponent for Lobo. Firstly, Haggerty is scheduled to defend his kickboxing throne against Wei Rui in the ONE 171 main event on Feb. 20.

Watch the fight-ending sequence of the rematch between Lobo and Saemapetch below: