Superlek ‘relieved’ he still has his belt after Danial Williams victory

Superlek Kiatmoo9 was nothing short of relieved to walk out with his ONE flyweight kickboxing world championship on Friday night.

Originally scheduled to square off with ‘The Iron Man’ Rodtang Jitmuangnon, Superlek put his title on the line against short-notice replacement Danial Williams in the ONE Fight Night 8 on Prime Video main event.

Despite a valiant effort, Williams came up short in his world title bid, losing via a third-round knockout. Following the contest, ‘The Kicking Machine’ breathed a sigh of relief while speaking to the media at a post-fight press event.

“I am very happy that the fight is over,” Superlek admitted. “I am very relieved. I'm really relieved because I still can keep this belt with me. And I really tried my best during the fight.”

While it didn’t come against the man he was initially training for, ‘The Kicking Machine’ gave fans around the world another example of why the Thai sensation is one of the most popular fighters in the world today.

With his first ONE world title defense in the books, ‘The Kicking Machine’ will likely turn his attention back to Rodtang. Fans have been clamoring for a fight between the two striking icons for years. We’ve come close on two separate occasions. Perhaps the third time will be the charm if the promotion opts to rebook their highly anticipated clash for later this year.

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Superlek Kiatmoo9 thanks Danial Williams for stepping up on short notice

Following their main event matchup on Friday night, Superlek shared his appreciation for Danial Williams’ willingness to step up and share the main event spotlight with him at Singapore Indoor Stadium.

“I would like to thank him for accepting this fight last minute, I would like to say that he's a very strong fighter. I respect his heart. I respect his courage. I have nothing to say except thank you very much.”

Considering that his bout with ‘The Kicking Machine’ was his first foray into kickboxing under the ONE Championship banner, the loss likely won’t have any effect on Williams' otherwise successful run in MMA. ‘Mini-T’ is 3-1 in mixed martial art, scoring wins over Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke, Namiki Kawahara, and Zelang Zhaxi. He did suffer his first setback against Marrok Force standout Jeremy Miado in October 2022.

Despite that, Danial Williams is still the No. 5 ranked strawweight contender in the promotion, leaving him a strong win away from a potential MMA title opportunity.