Superlek ONE Championship: "Just looked like he didn't want to be there" - Liam Harrison on Superlek's shocking upset vs Nabil Anane at ONE 172

British combat sports legend Liam Harrison gave his thoughts about the most recent defeat of Thai superstar Superlek Kiatmoo9 to Nabil Anane last March 23 at ONE 172, which took place inside the Saitama Super Arena in Japan.

According to Harrison, Superlek seems not to be in his usual form, especially the mental side of things, because he looked like a different athlete competing inside the ring compared to the previous fighter who captured two 26-pound golden belts six months ago.

'The Hitman' shared this during a recent interview with seasoned journalist Nick Atkin, as he stated:

"He just looked like he didn't want to be there but there's a reasoning for that as well that I've heard from people behind the scenes and stuff, but obviously that's not my place to go into."

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Watch Liam Harrison's full interview here:

Prior to the three-round clash with the Thai-Algerian phenom, 'The Kicking Machine' was stripped of the ONE bantamweight Muay Thai gold due to failing the hydration test for the supposed championship battle.

This latest setback was Superlek's second loss under the world's largest martial arts organization in 17 matches. Furthermore, it snapped his incredible 11-fight win streak.

Superlek promises to bounce back and learn from his mistakes from Nabil Anane loss at ONE 172

Following his loss, the Kiatmoo9 Gym representative published a post on his Instagram account, where he discussed his thoughts about the fight.

There, he gave credit to Anane and promised to learn from his mistakes and bounce back strong, as he wrote the caption:

"Congratulations to my younger brother. Keep developing yourself. 🏆 For me, I have to apologize to the people who cheer me on. Whoever wants to curse, scold, or criticize me, do as you please. 🙏 I will improve and fix my losses, not make excuses. Then I will come back. I know best. SPL fights in its own style."

Fans can rewatch all the action from the ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang PPV card via watch.onefc.com.

About the author

Anatoly is an MMA writer with six years of experience. He covers ONE Championship at Sportskeeda, where he has contributed over 1000 pieces. He previously served as the lead MMA writer for BetMGM’s blog.

Anatoly holds a bachelor's degree in communication, which he feels has had a significant impact on his career.

Jon Jones’ submission win over Lyoto Machida at UFC 140 in 2011 got him hooked to MMA. His favorite fighters include Eduard Folayang, Demetrious Johnson, Georges St-Pierre, Anderson Silva, and Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Anatoly provides Sportskeeda with exclusive pieces and has previously interviewed the former ONE flyweight MMA world champion, Adriano Moraes. While writing his pieces, he follows an extensive research process, referring only to credible sources like the UFC’s official website, Sherdog, and ESPN. He also likes to provide insights to his readers by keeping in mind important pillars of communication like media literacy and audience dynamics.

Anatoly advocates for a healthy and fit lifestyle by including boxing in his routine. He also loves to travel.

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Edited by Krishna Venki