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British striking icon Liam Harrison is sure that 'The Kicking Machine' Superlek Kiatmoo9 will be firing on all cylinders again in due time.
'Hitman' was asked about the Thai megastar's performance during a recent exchange with the Bangkok Post's Nick Atkin following his defeat to Thai-Algerian slugger Nabil Anane at ONE 172 inside the Saitama Super Arena on Sunday, March 23.
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It led to a double blow for the Kiatmoo9 Gym martial artist, who was also stripped of the ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world title he acquired via a sub-minute finish against Jonathan Haggerty at ONE 168: Denver, after he missed weight and failed hydration during the official weigh-in ceremony in Saitama.
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In Liam Harrison's opinion, Superlek wasn't himself at all during fight week. But given his track record and status as one of the finest strikers today, the Leeds native thinks it's just a minor blip in a career filled with some stunning knockouts and wins over the best there is in Muay Thai and kickboxing.
He told Nick Atkin:
"He just needs to get back in the right frame of mind, have a bit of time off, let his injuries heal up because he's clearly still carrying some, and yeah, go from there, see where he's at. But I prefer him at 135. I definitely think he can still do it."
Superlek's unanimous decision loss to Anane was his first defeat under the ONE spotlight since he suffered a similar fate during his world title tilt against Dutch-Moroccan dynamo Ilias Ennahachi at ONE: Fists of Fury in February 2021.
As for Anane, the Team Mehdi Zatout star and interim bantamweight Muay Thai kingpin collected his seventh successive win in the promotion since going down to Superlek in his ONE debut in June 2023.
Watch the full interview here:
Liam Harrison returns to the Circle at ONE 173: Denver
Liam Harrison will be out to secure career victory No.92 when he makes his hotly anticipated return on the global stage at ONE 173: Denver inside the Ball Arena on Aug. 1.
That evening, the multi-time striking world champion collides with Myanmarese battle-tested veteran Soe Lin Oo in a bantamweight Muay Thai duel.
Those interested to attend the event live and in-person can follow this link to purchase their tickets.
Fight fans around the globe, meanwhile, can head over to watch.onefc.com for more information on how to watch the promotion's third on-ground spectacle in North America.
