Superlek named ONE Championship's 2024 Muay Thai and Kickboxing Fighter of the Year

Plenty of Muay Thai and kickboxing superstars dazzled in ONE Championship throughout 2024 but none came close to matching the tactical brilliance and finesse that Superlek Kiatmoo9 displayed in the Circle in the past year.

'The Kicking Machine' wrapped up another successful campaign in the promotion with a trio of victories — taking his win streak to 11-0 — to deservingly scoop the 2024 ONE Championship Muay Thai and Kickboxing Fighter of the Year award.

Superlek opened his account last year in a gem of a kickboxing war against Takeru Segawa at ONE 165 inside the Ariake Arena in January. The 29-year-old warrior brought the fight to the debuting Japanese megastar with trademark precision and power in Tokyo, Japan.

He showed no mercy and battered Takeru's leg with missile-like kicks, and his accurate combinations poured more misery on the former three-division K-1 world champion until the final bell.

At the end of the five-round duel, the Kiatmoo9 Gym star walked away with the unanimous decision, his ONE flyweight kickboxing world title, and arguably one of the finest wins of his career.

Five months later, he returned to action with a unanimous decision triumph in a flyweight Muay Thai tussle against in-form Thai slugger Kongthoranee Sor Sommai, who was undefeated in seven fights.

Once more, the stand-up genius blessed the world with a striking clinic that helped him dominate the two-time Rajadamnern Stadium Muay Thai world champion inside the Mecca of Muay Thai.

As remarkable as those victories were, his finest of the lot in 2024 came in his ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world championship clash against Jonathan Haggerty at ONE 168: Denver in September.

Superlek saw off the confident Englishman with an elbow from hell inside just 49 seconds to add another 26 pounds of gold and become a two-division, two-sport world champion inside the Ball Arena.

---

Superlek opens his 2025 account at ONE 172 in Japan

Superlek's return to action hit a standstill last week due to an injury he picked up during fight camp for his ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world title defense against No.2-ranked contender Nico Carrillo at ONE 170.

Due to the shake-up, Carrillo will now face No.5-ranked Nabil Anane for the interim crown on Jan. 24. Whoever emerges victorious will duke it out against the Thai megastar in a unification bout that will go down at ONE 172 in Japan.

ONE Championship's return to "The Land of the Rising Sun" on March 23 will be headlined by a five-round flyweight kickboxing matchup between Takeru Segawa and Rodtang Jitmuangnon.