WATCH: Double-champ Superlek Kiatmoo9’s enlightening journey to monkhood after victory over Jonathan Haggerty

Double ONE world champion Superlek Kiatmoo9 went on a spiritual journey following his victory over Jonathan Haggerty in their title clash back in September. It was something he said he had planned for a while and is happy to have finally done.

'The Kicking Machine' defeated Haggerty with an impressive 49-second knockout at ONE 168: Denver on Sept. 7 to become the new ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world champion. The new belt was in addition to the flyweight kickboxing world title already in his possession.

After his triumph, he was ordained as a Buddhist monk and spent the next nine days in a monastery, where he underwent various rituals, including the shaving of hair and eyebrows and meditation as part of his spiritual journey.

He said going through process of monkhood was an experience all worthwhile as he got to know himself better while improving his ability to concentrate, which should help him in his career as a fighter.

Yokkao Training Center posted a video of Superlek's inspiring journey to monkhood on YouTube, which touched on his motivation all the way to realization after.

Check out the post below:

Superlek was supposed to make his first defense of the bantamweight gold at ONE 170 on Jan. 24 against Scottish contender Nico Carrillo but had to withdraw because of injury.

The contest has since been restructured, with Carrillo now vying for the interim belt against fellow contender Nabil Anane.

ONE 170 will take place at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand, and is available on the ONE YouTube channel and Facebook (geo-restrictions may apply) as well as on watch.ONEFC.com.

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Superlek expects a knockout finish in battle for interim belt between Nico Carrillo and Nabil Anane

While he is out of ONE 170 on Jan. 24, Superlek Kiatmoo9 will be an interested spectator when Nico Carrillo and Nabil Anane battle it out for the interim bantamweight Muay Thai world title. He sees it not going the distance, with the winner getting it done by knockout.

He shared this in an interview with ONE Championship, highlighting that the protagonists have it in them to finish one another, making a KO win highly probable.

Superlek said:

"For this fight between Nico and Nabil, I think it's a very close fight. It's a 50-50 chance for both of them to win, and I believe there's a high probability of a knockout."

The winner for the interim belt between Carrillo and Nabil is set for a unification bout with Superlek next.