Nabil Anane Stuns Superlek, Snaps the Muay Thai Superstar’s 11-Fight Win Streak – ONE 172 Highlights
6’4″ Algerian-Thai sensation Nabil Anane stunned Superlek at ONE 172, scoring a unanimous decision victory over ‘The Kicking Machine’ and avenging his long loss under the ONE Championship banner.
Originally, their clash was scheduled to be a five-round title unification bout for the undisputed ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world champion. Unfortunately, Superlek failed to meet the hydration requirements, resulting in him being stripped of his title on the scale. Because of that, the fight was renegotiated as a three-round catchweight.
Despite the setback, both fighters delivered an absolute barnburner inside the Saitama Super Arena. And much to the surprise of pretty much everyone, it was Anane who would dominate the action, handing Superlek his first loss in more than four years.
The biggest moment of the fight came in the opening round when Anane caught Superlek with a head kick against the ropes that sent him crashing to the canvas. Superlek ultimately answered the referee’s count and made it through the next couple of rounds, but he didn’t have much answer for Anane’s significant height and reach advantage this time around.
Official Result: Nabil Anane def. Superlek via unanimous decision.
It’s unclear what comes next for Anane, but if he gets his wish, it’ll be a showdown with ONE bantamweight kickboxing titleholder Jonathan Haggerty.
