"What were they doing?" Nabil Anane feeds off his critics' energy ahead of title unification match vs Superlek at ONE 172

If there's one thing fueling Nabil Anane ahead of the biggest fight of his career this weekend, it's the words of his naysayers.

The ONE interim bantamweight Muay Thai world champion goes head-to-head with the division's lineal king — Superlek Kiatmoo9 — in a highly anticipated unification showdown at ONE 172 this Sunday, March 23.

It's worth noting that this bout serves as a rematch of their first encounter at ONE Friday Fights 22 in June 2023, where the then-newcomer Anane suffered a heartbreaking loss at the hands of Superlek.

Anane's promotional debut was nothing short of baptism by fire. Thrown straight into the deep end, he faced Superlek, who is already the reigning ONE flyweight kickboxing world champion at the time.

In a non-title flyweight Muay Thai tiff, the Thai-Algerian phenom quickly learned the gulf between him and his battle-hardened opponent. There, he struggled to put his 6-foot-4 stature to good use as Superlek broke him down with an assault of deadly low kicks.

Anane's agony didn't last that long as Superlek decided to end matters with a body shot that folded his towering foe for the stoppage in the very first round.

That loss still lingers on the minds of many, much to the frustration of Anane. Yet, he has more than redeemed himself, racking up six consecutive wins —including a stunning upset over Nico Carrillo to capture the interim crown this past January.

The 20-year-old aired his annoyance in an interview with ONE Championship:

"If people hate you, it's because they are jealous with where you are right now. Maybe when they were 20, I don't even know whey they were doing. I'm nearly the champion of the world at 20 years old. What were they doing at 20 years old, bro?"

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Nabil Anane looks to overcome odds at ONE 172

Nabil Anane isn't just battling fan perception when he steps inside Japan's Saitama Super Arena on Sunday.

A recent online poll overwhelmingly favors Superlek Kiatmoo9 to pull off an encore performance against Anane at ONE 172.

But as the underdog, Anane is no stranger to defying the odds, just as he did to Nico Carrillo a few months ago.

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