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ONE interim bantamweight Muay Thai world champion Nabil Anane warned reigning divisional king Superlek Kiatmoo9 that he has evolved as a fighter since their first encounter nearly two years and he is every bit ready for their scheduled rematch later this month.
The Algerian-Thai fighter will try to unify the bantamweight belts at ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang on March 23 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.
It is a rematch of their first encounter in June 2023, where Anane, then making his ONE Championship debut, was given a rude welcome by 'The Kicking Machine,' knocked out in the opening round.
In an interview with the promotion in line with his reengagement with Superlek, Nabil Anane admitted that he was defeated fair and square the first time around, but it is going to be different at ONE 172.
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The 20-year-old Team Mehdi Zatout standout said:
“Two years ago, I didn’t know nothing about small [4-ounce] gloves. I didn’t have this experience. I’m totally different. Very different."
Sure enough, Nabil Anane has shown marked improvement since his loss to Superlek in his ONE debut, winning six straight since, the most recent a first-round TKO of erstwhile streaking Nico Carrillo of Scotland back in January to claim the interim bantamweight Muay Thai belt.
Meanwhile, Superlek will be defending the bantamweight gold for the first time since seizing it from former world champion Jonathan Haggerty by way of a 49-second knockout in their title clash in September in the United States.
ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang marks the return of ONE Championship to Japan for the second straight year and is available live on pay-per-view via watch.onefc.com.
Nabil Anane says loss to Superlek a lesson for him
Nabil Anane said the loss to Superlek Kiatmoo9 in their first encounter served as a lesson for him, which he has learned from and used to better compete in ONE Championship.
He touched on it during the press conference for ONE 172 in January, highlighting how the defeat only moved him to be hungrier in training and during matches to succeed.
"That loss was an important lesson to me. It motivated me to work hard and develop myself to be a better fighter."
Superlek-Anane II is one of five world title fights on offer at ONE 172.
