Fans were surprised when reigning ONE flyweight kickboxing world champion Superlek Kiatmoo9 was booked to face the tough contender Kongthoranee Sor Sommai in a flyweight Muay Thai contest on June 28 as part of the ONE Friday Fights 68 card.
Superlek was already scheduled to challenge Jonathan Haggerty for the ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world title at ONE 168: Denver on September 6 at Ball Arena. But now he will have another match before that.
This was officially announced by ONE Championship via an Instagram post recently, and they captioned it with:
"BANGER ALERT 🔥 Before Superlek challenges Jonathan Haggerty at ONE 168: Denver, he will face Kongthoranee in an epic flyweight Muay Thai matchup at ONE Friday Fights 68! Predictions? @superlek789 @kongthoranee.sorsommai"
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Both Superlek and Kongthoranee are riding their respective win streaks under the world's largest martial arts organization, with the former sporting nine consecutive wins and the latter having seven of his own.
Despite the shock from most fans, others were hyped to see 'The Kicking Machine' back in action before he throws down with 'The General,' as users @attilathehun, @rasmussarin, @che5t3r, and @deanphilips commented:
"Relax everyone...Thai guys fight every 2 weeks in Thailand ...there is nothing new here ...they love this and live for this lifestyle 😊🙏🏼"
"Going down to 135lbs and fighting an actual division contender then in a few months up to 145 lbs to fight Haggerty. Crazy 🔥"
"What a savage. My favourite fighter 🤘"
"Cut from different cloth this superlek is ! Anyone Anytime anywhere"
Superlek and Kongthoranee join the Prajanchai-Jonathan Di Bella-led card on June 28
The Thai stars will be part of the event where the ONE strawweight kickboxing world title is on the line, as Prajanchai PK Saenchai and Jonathan Di Bella headline the card inside the legendary Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
This will determine the undisputed king of the division, as Prajanchai and Di Bella were former interim world champion and former world champion, respectively. The 26-pound golden belt is currently vacant.
ONE Friday Fights 68 is available for free on ONE Championship's digital platforms.