Superlek believes Ilias Ennahachi could be in for wild ride against Petchtanong

Superlek Kiatmoo9 sent a word of warning to his former opponent Ilias Ennahachi.

The two fighters were previously scheduled to run back their February 2021 bout with Ennahachi’s ONE flyweight kickboxing world championship up for grabs at ONE Fight Night 6 in January. Unfortunately, Ennahachi was forced to withdraw, informing the promotion that he would not be able to make weight for the contest.

As a result, Ennahachi was stripped of the crown and Superlek reaped the benefits, defeating Daniel Puertas in a battle for the vacant ONE world title. Ennahachi has since made the move to bantamweight and the move immediately paid dividends as evidenced by his second-round knockout of Aliasghar Ghodratisaraskan at ONE Friday Fights 6 last month.

Now eyeing a ONE world title fight against bantamweight kickboxing champion Petchtanong Petchfergus, Superlek sent a word of warning to Ennahachi about picking a fight with his fellow Thai warrior:

“I was looking forward to watching him fight that day [at ONE Friday Fights 6]... And he showed me that he is still one of the best kickboxers in the world. His punches, his footwork [are both good]. But if he wants to continue in the bantamweight division, he has to face a great wall in the form of Petchtanong. He is a king of kickboxing, and I’m one of his fans. I believe Ilias will possibly get a title shot, but he must overcome the toughest challenges. Petchtanong is not an easy task.”

Currently, ‘The Kicking Machine’ is preparing for a main event showdown with ‘The Iron Man’ Rodtang Jitmuangnon on March 24 at ONE Fight Night 8.

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Superlek plans to exploit a hole in Rodtang’s game

Following his ONE flyweight kickboxing world title win, Superlek Kiatmoo9 will get no easy title defenses as he will be immediately thrust into the main event spotlight with Muay Thai sensation Rodtang Jitmuangnon.

Many fans believed the pair would meet as part of last year’s ONE Atomweight World Grand Prix tournament, but those hopes were dashed when ‘The Iron Man’ was forced to withdraw following a first-round victory over Jacob Smith. Now the two Thai warriors will strap on 8oz gloves for a can’t-miss kickboxing clash.

Discussing his preparations for the bout, Superlek revealed that he has taken note of Rodtang’s movement. ‘The Kicking Machine’ believes that recognizing and memorizing the patterns of his opponent will be the key to victory at ONE Fight Night 8:

“I believe my kicks are better than his in kickboxing. First, I’m a little taller than him. Second, I think my leg movement is better than his in terms of speed. Every fighter has their own way of stepping. And I see Rodtang step clearly, like how he will punch and follow with a kick. So, I can predict his patterns clearly. Rodtang may hit hard, but he is slower than me. This should be my advantage.”