“I needed to sacrifice to win” - Nabil Anane opens up on training through Ramadan for career-defining win over Superlek

ONE interim bantamweight Muay Thai world champion Nabil Anane emerged victorious in his huge fight last Sunday, which he took special pride in as he was able to achieve it while observing Ramadan.

The 20-year-old Algerian-Thai phenom exacted payback on Thai superstar Superlek Kiatmoo9 in their bantamweight Muay Thai clash at ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang on March 23 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

Making full use of his reach and height advantage, Anane dominated 'The Kicking Machine' in their three-round joust, that even saw Superlek hit the canvas in the opening round, on his way to a unanimous decision victory.

During the post-event press conference, Anane, a devout Muslim, spoke about his latest victory, including how preparation for it did not come easy as he was also observing the holy month of Ramadan.

Nabil 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."

Watch the press conference below:

The Anane-Superlek clash was supposed to be a unification bout for the ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world title that was previously held by the Kiatmoo9 Gyn standout. He, however, was stripped of it after missing weight and hydration in the official weigh-in on Saturday. The match was restructured to a non-title three-round showdown with Anane taking 30 percent of Superlek's purse.

The win, meanwhile, was a payback for Nabil Anane, who was knocked out by Superlek in their first encounter in June 2023.

The replay of ONE 172: Takeru vs Rodtang is available at watch.onefc.com.

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Nabil Anane delivers on promise of a different outcome in Superlek rematch

Nabil Anane was overwhelmed by Superlek Kiatmoo9 in his promotional debut in June 2023. It was something he vowed to redeem himself from in their rematch at ONE 172 and successfully did so.

In the lead-up to his redo with Superlek, Anane spoke about how their first encounter had him practically testing the waters but nonetheless he learned a lot from, which served as further motivation for him at ONE 172.

He shared this in a video feature on him by ONE Championship on Instagram, saying:

"He beat me in a way that nobody had done before. That was my first time that I got knocked out. This fight is not going to be the same as the other fight. That was my first fight in ONE Championship.

"Ever since I lost against him, all the fights after, I tried to prove myself. But there's still a lot of people not believing in me. So, this fight, I'll prove myself. I'm not the same anymore."

The win at ONE 172 was the seventh straight for Nabil Anane, further solidifying his standing as bonafide Muay Thai superstar.