"I've thought about it" - Muay Thai and kickboxing king Superlek open to testing his striking greatness in MMA

Superlek Kiatmoo9 is now the flyweight kickboxing and bantamweight Muay Thai world champion after his sub-minute destruction of Jonathan Haggerty at ONE 168: Denver. As with most strikers on top of their games, 'The Kicking Machine' was also met with the inevitable question of possibly taking his talents to mixed martial arts.

Speaking with Nick Atkin during his post-event interview, Superlek revealed he's long been intrigued by MMA and won't be opposed to making the transition if the perfect opportunity comes along:

"I have been curious of going into MMA. I've thought about it, and perhaps in a special rules fight. Maybe we'll see."

There's no doubt that Superlek's world-class striking will be a problem for every flyweight or bantamweight fighter in the world.

Apart from his surgically destructive kicks, the Thai megastar is also a menace at close distance. His impeccable clinch work will make him a formidable opponent right off the bat.

His high fight IQ is another underrated aspect of how he operates and should come in handy if he ever decides to plunge into MMA.

Obviously, if Superlek can develop some respectable takedown defense and a bit of defensive grappling, he could disrupt the MMA landscape.

Those foolish enough to stand with Superlek will indeed be in over their head.

Watch Superlek's interview in its entirety:

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Superlek dialed up the aggression against Jonathan Haggerty

Superlek is best described as a calm and collected tactician, who prefers to read his opponents first and finish them off in the later rounds.

However, 'The Kicking Machine' knew he couldn't afford to be a sitting duck against the ultra-aggressive Jonathan Haggerty.

The Thai warrior matched fire with fire early on, which led to that epic 49-second elbow knockout that will go down in history books.

Superlek shared during the post-event press conference:

"This is something that I thought about during the fight. When I was in the fight, in the beginning, I thought that if I fight in this slow, methodical style, there's no way I could beat him. So I switched to a more aggressive, fast style, and I ended it quickly."

The full replay of ONE 168: Denver is available on demand for Prime Video subscribers in North America.