Reigning and undisputed ONE flyweight kickboxing world champion and newly crowned bantamweight Muay Thai king 'The Kicking Machine' Superlek Kiatmoo9 of Thailand couldn't wait to get home after his stunning first-round knockout victory over 'The General' Jonathan Haggerty last weekend.
The 28-year-old Bangkok native separated Haggerty from his senses with a counter right elbow to capture the ONE bantamweight Muay Thai belt in epic fashion.
The two locked horns at ONE 168: Denver, which took place before a packed Ball Arena crowd in Colorado.
With the victory, Superlek also took home a hefty $50,000 performance bonus, and he couldn't wait to put it to good use.
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'The Kicking Machine' told media at the ONE 168: Denver press conference backstage:
"I am super happy that I got this bonus. First of all, the money is going to help support my family, my parents, that's how I got here. Also, I recently opened a gym in Thailand, Superlek training gym, and I've got 10 or more young fighters there that I'm ready to support."
Superlek is one of the most revered combat sports athletes in Thailand, and he's giving back to the next generation of fighters.
Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action of ONE 168: Denver via replay on demand on Amazon Prime Video.
Superlek expected a long battle with Jonathan Haggerty: "I was definitely ready"
Even 'The Kicking Machine' Superlek Kiatmoo9 didn't expect his highly anticipated showdown with 'The General' Jonathan Haggerty at ONE 168: Denver to end as quickly as it did.
The Thai superstar came into the five-round championship fight ready to go the full distance.
'The Kicking Machine' told Nick Atkin in a recent interview:
"If the fight dragged on all the way to five rounds, I was definitely ready, because I came here to fight Haggerty for five rounds, and I was definitely ready to do that."