“Our preparation was off” - Superlek reveals the "biggest issue" in loss to Nabil Anane

At ONE 172 in Japan, fight fans worldwide witnessed one of the most unexpected outcomes of the night -- a unanimous decision win for the now-interim ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world champion Nabil Anane.

The loss was especially shocking to the Muay Thai community, especially considering Superlek's dominant run heading into the bout. The Thai legend was on an unbroken 11-win streak since 2022 - beating even the likes of multiple ONE world champions including Rodtang, Jonathan Haggerty, and Nabil Anane himself during their first clash.

Now, more than a week after the fight, the Thai legend has broken his silence - but he didn't offer any excuses:

"What do I have to say about the match? Nothing much," he told Yokkao. "As everyone saw, our preparation was off. The game plan didn’t work. The biggest issue was failing the hydration test."

Because of the failed hydration, Superlek was stripped of his belt before the fight even began, downgrading what was supposed to be the ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world championship into a regular bout.

Watch Superlek's full statement below:

“Shouldn’t have taken that fight” - Liam Harrison hints Superlek wasn’t at his best in shocking loss to Nabil Anane

Superlek's statement about being off his game only served to confirm veteran striker Liam Harrison's gut feeling after the fight - that something just wasn't right.

"I don’t think Superlek shouldn't have taken that fight. I’m sure the reasoning will come out and stuff like that afterward, but I don’t want to repeat what people have told me were close to him because it’s not my place. But still, you can’t take it away from Nabil."

Nabil Anane showed up hungry to prove that he's grown since his first loss to the Thai legend - and walked away without the belt, but with a sense of vindication that he has proven he's better than his former aggressor.

ONE 172 is available via replay on watch.onefc.com.