Superlek recalls car ride home after winning kickboxing world title

At ONE Fight Night 6 in January, Superlek Kiatmoo9 achieved world championship status.

Defeating Spain’s Daniel Puertas via a unanimous decision, ‘The Kicking Machine’ claimed the vacant ONE flyweight kickboxing world championship.

Having been previously held by Ilias Ennahachi, the champion chose to vacate the world championship due to his concerns with making the weight limit.

The newly crowned titleholder has been reflecting on his success ahead of his first world title defense at ONE Fight Night 8 on March 24 where he faces Rodtang Jitmuangnon.

In an interview with ONE Championship, Superlek revealed that he was simply overwhelmed by the occasion:

“When I became the world champion, I was overwhelmed. It was like a dream come true. That moment I was so happy that I was speechless. You can see I kept silent. I didn’t have much expression. I sat in the car on the way home without saying a word.”

He added:

“My wife asked me, ‘Aren't you happy?’ I told her I have a lot on my mind – something like, ‘Now I’m a champion. How can I keep this title as long as possible?’ I felt a little pressure. I felt real happiness only on the next day when my family, friends, teammates, and neighbors in my hometown joined me to celebrate.”

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Superlek has "noticed holes" in Rodtang’s game and is planning a surprise

At ONE Fight Night 8 on March 24, Superlek Kiatmoo9 will have his work cut out for him for his first defense of the ONE flyweight kickboxing world championship. Following on from his world championship win at ONE Fight Night 6, ’The Kicking Machine' will now face Rodtang Jitmuangnon.

The flyweight Muay Thai world champion competed at the same event where Superlek won the vacant title, setting up a huge fight between the Thai stars. Rodtang was originally scheduled to face Daniel Puertas at the event but his opponent was promoted into the vacant world championship fight after Ilias Ennahachi chose to vacate the title.

The kickboxing titleholder will have the tough task of attempting to deny Rodtang the opportunity to become a simultaneous two-sport world champion, but he believes that he has seen some holes in "The Iron Man" that he can exploit.

In an interview with ONE Championship, Superlek said:

"I watched Rodtang’s videos and noticed holes in his game. And I’m practicing this surprise for him. This is as much as I can tell you."

Despite the fierce reputation that Rodtang brings to the table, ‘The Kicking Machine’ believes that he holds the advantage under the kickboxing ruleset. He added:

“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 ... I can predict his patterns clearly. Rodtang may hit hard, but he is slower than me. This should be my advantage."