“I never got knocked out before” - Nabil Anane says devastating loss to Superlek was a real eye-opener

Newly crowned ONE interim bantamweight Muay Thai world champion Nabil Anane of Algeria and Thailand believes his 2023 loss to multi-division multi-sport world champion 'The Kicking Machine' Superlek Kiatmoo9 served as the turning point in his young career.

Heading into that fight full of confidence, the six-foot-four-inch tall phenom said he fully expected to win but was quite quickly humbled and lost by first-round knockout.

Speaking to the South China Morning Post in a recent interview, Anane talked about what went through his mind after that loss two years ago, and how it changed him.

The 20-year-old Team Mehdi Zatout representative said:

"This is how life goes, you know? Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. You must take it. I’ve lost also. When I lost against Superlek, it was my first knockout. I never got knocked out before. It was bad, it was really bad."

Needless to say, Anane will be looking to show Superlek just how much he has grown as a fighter when the two meet again for a rematch this weekend.

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Nabil Anane rematches Superlek Kiatmoo9 for undisputed throne at ONE 172 in Japan

Algerian-Thai phenom Nabil Anane will get the chance to unify the ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world championship against reigning titleholder 'The Kicking Machine' Superlek Kiatmoo9.

The two square off in a five-round war at ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang, which is set to broadcast live from the iconic Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, this Sunday, March 23.

Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action live via global pay-per-view by visiting watch.onefc.com.

Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for all the latest news and updates surrounding the event as it happens.