Current ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion Nabil Anane will test his skills in a new sport when he makes his kickboxing debut against former ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Champion Ilias Ennahachi on 26 September in Bangkok, Thailand.
The bantamweight kickboxing clash at ONE Friday Fights 126 represents a significant step toward Anane's ultimate goal of challenging ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Champion Jonathan Haggerty for gold in the division.
The 21-year-old Thai- Algerian superstar acknowledges the challenge presented by his experienced opponent, who brings a perfect 5-0 ONE Championship record to their encounter.
"When they offered me my first kickboxing fight against former Flyweight Champion Ilias Ennahachi, I knew he was a great fighter. He's also beaten Superlek before. This won't be an easy fight for sure," Anane admitted.
The Team Mehdi Zatout representative has established himself as one of ONE Championship's brightest stars since his promotional debut at age 19. Despite suffering a knockout loss to Superlek Kiatmoo9 in his first appearance, Anane has proven unstoppable since that setback.
His redemption story reached its peak with five consecutive victories that earned him an interim title shot against Nico Carrillo. The towering striker defeated Carrillo in the first round to capture gold, before being elevated to undisputed champion status in June this year.
Now venturing into kickboxing against the 29-year-old Moroccan-Dutch veteran, Anane has identified specific tactical advantages he plans to exploit.
"A weakness I see in Ilias Ennahachi is that he starts strong but fades in the later rounds. He doesn't have the same power at the end as he does in the beginning," the champion said.
Victory would position Anane perfectly for bigger opportunities in the bantamweight kickboxing division.
"If I beat Ilias, it'll bring me even closer to my dream, and the doors to a title shot will open up. I've been adapting for sure. I change my style for every single fight. This kickboxing fight will be no different," he declared.
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