WATCH: Get behind the scenes of the brewing rivalry between Superlek and Nabil Anane ahead of ONE 172 in Japan

ONE 172 this Sunday, March 23, boasts a stacked lineup of thrilling matchups, but no storyline is more captivating than the heated rivalry between Superlek Kiatmoo9 and Nabil Anane.

The two warriors are slated to square off against each other in a ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world championship unification tiff, happening live from the fabled Saitama Super Arena in Japan.

Matching the intensity of their battle for divisional supremacy, ONE Championship has released a bout preview, drawing fans deeper into their highly anticipated bout.

Watch the short feature presentation below:

The history between both men began at ONE Friday Fights 22 in June 2023, where Superlek — already being the ONE flyweight kickboxing world champion — was given the task to welcome the then-promotional debutant such as Anane in a 135-pound Muay Thai clash.

Although Anane entered the world's largest martial arts organization with high expectations and plenty of hype due to his 6-foot-4 frame, he had no idea that a baptism by fire awaited him.

Superlek, the reigning ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world champion, effortlessly negated Anane's heigh and reach advantage by closing the distance and chopping the lead leg of the Thai-Algerian with a torrent of harrowing low kicks.

This initial onslaught set up an opening for Superlek to deliver the knockout blow, folding Anane with a solid blow to the midsection to secure the finish in the very first round.

The defeat was undoubtedly a tough pill to swallow for Anane, but he turned into a fuel for a remarkable redemption arc.

Since that dismal setback, Anane compiled six straight victories, including an upset against Nico Carrillo to capture the ONE interim bantamweight Muay Thai world title at ONE 170 this past January.

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Superlek looks to extend reign of terror

While payback is certainly on the mind of Nabil Anane at ONE 172, Superlek Kiatmoo9 aims to continue his impressive run as one of the best pound-for-pound strikers on the planet today.

After making short work of Anane, 'The Kicking Machine' had added five more names to his list of victims, including Jonathan Haggerty — whom he beat in 49 seconds at ONE 168 in September 2024 to wrest the lineal ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world title.

Anane may be riding a huge wave of momentum to showcase his evolution as a competitor, but Superlek is determined to prove that his skill set operates on an enitrely different level.

ONE 172 will air live worldwide via pay-per-view on watch.onefc.com.