Thai-Algerian ONE interim bantamweight Muay Thai world champion Nabil Anane scored the biggest win of his young career last week at ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang when he took out Thai icon and former bantamweight Muay Thai king 'The Kicking Machine' Superlek Kiatmoo9.
Superlek failed ONE Championship's stringent weight and hydration testing the night before and was stripped of the gold on the scales. However, despite Anane's victory over the veteran fighter, the 20-year-old was not elevated to undisputed champ status.
Taking to Instagram to react to the entire ordeal, Anane expressed his disappointment, but was hopeful he can fix the issue in a future fight.
The 6-foot-4 tall phenom said:
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"The last thing I want to say is that I wasn’t on my top performance in this fight but I didn’t complain at all and did everything right. I came on weight and did nothing wrong but haven’t got the present to bring back home to my family. That’s a little sad."
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Belt or not, there is no question Nabil Anane is the king of the bantamweights, and whoever steps in the ring with him will have their hands full.
ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang was broadcast live from the iconic Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan last Sunday, March 23. Fans in the United States and Canada can catch a replay of the action on-demand via watch.onefc.com.
Nabil Anane reveals he entered Superlek fight with injuries: "I couldn’t use my right hand fully"
Interim bantamweight Muay Thai king Nabil Anane turned in the performance of a lifetime against Superlek Kiatmoo9 at ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang last week, despite not being physically at his best.
The 20-year-old revealed his injuries on Instagram:
"My right hand is not 100 percent healed since my fight against Nico Carrillo. It’s around 70-80 percent healed, and whole fight camp I couldn’t use my right hand fully."
Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for all the latest news and updates surrounding Nabil Anane's next fight.
