Nabil Anane ONE 172: WATCH: Nabil Anane proves why he's a towering problem in methodical beatdown of world title contender Felipe Lobo in Bangkok

WATCH: Nabil Anane proves why he's a towering problem in methodical beatdown of world title contender Felipe Lobo in Bangkok

By Karl Batungbacal

Modified Mar 07, 2025 12:35 GMT

Nabil Anane fighting Felipe Lobo in August 2024. [Photo via: ONE Championship]

Every aspiring breakout athlete in any professional sport always pursues a headline-worthy victory. 20-year-old Muay Thai star Nabil Anane's dismantling of former ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world championship contender Felipe Lobo in August 2024 fits that description.

After notching his second knockout in three straight victories, the 6-foot-4 Muay Thai standout wanted to further boost his already-impressive stock with a highlight-reel finish of Lobo. While he failed to meet his goal, he did put together a three-round masterpiece thanks to his constantly improving skill set.

'Demolition Man' had a solid outing as well, but Anane's near-unstoppable onslaught was just too much and earned the unanimous decision win.

Check out the highlights of their bout below, which ONE posted on Instagram:

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Anane then added heavy-handed Burmese striker Soe Lin Oo to his list of victims the following month, which led to him squaring off with third-ranked ONE bantamweight Muay Thai competitor Nico Carrillo at ONE 170 this past January over the ONE interim bantamweight Muay Thai world championship.

The Team Mehdi Zatout disciple gained even more acclaim after handing 'King of the North' his first defeat under the ONE banner, a first-round TKO, to capture interim gold.

Nabil Anane will compete for undisputed crown later this month

With Nabil Anane having won the interim 145-pound Muay Thai crown, his focus now is to become the undisputed ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world champion. The unification bout will take place on March 23 at ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang.

Gunning to dash Anane's dreams and become the undisputed 145-pound Muay Thai king himself is reigning ONE bantamweight Muay Thai and flyweight kickboxing world champion Superlek Kiatmoo9 — the same man who spoiled his June 2023 promotional debut.

ONE 172 will emanate from the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. The event will be available live on pay-per-view at watch.onefc.com.

About the author

Karl has been an MMA writer at Sportskeeda since 2023. He holds a Bachelor of Arts major in history, which helps him pay attention to the finer details while writing, and also has first-hand experience in boxing. He has a total experience of 5 years, and has worked for the International Business Times.

Karl turned into an MMA fan back in 2011 after watching Tito Ortiz defeat Ryan Bader via first-round submission at UFC 132. He has interviewed ONE world champions like Eduard Folayang, Joshua Pacio, Stamp Fairtex, and Tawanchai in his career so far.

On the non-MMA side of things, he interviewed WWE superstar Matt Riddle in 2021 and his question about Roman Reigns elicited an interesting answer which was widely covered by outlets like Sportskeeda and Cultaholic Wrestling's YouTube channel. He has also interviewed NBA stars Dwight Howard, Nick Young, Andre Roberson, Shabazz Muhammad, Jason Williams and Brian Scalabrine plus Filipino women's volleyball star Alyssa Valdez.

Karl ensures to double-check facts before using them in articles, and reads up on potential topics for pieces a day before. In his off time, he likes to play video games, and keep up with basketball and pro wrestling.

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Edited by Krishna Venki