When Nabil Anane debuted in ONE Championship in 2023, he was thrown right into the path of arguably the greatest pound-for-pound striker on the planet, Superlek Kiatmoo9. At ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang on Sunday, March 23, the two will meet again with much higher stakes on the line.
After the rude welcome, Anane showed off his electric skill set with a six-bout win streak that culminated at ONE 170. There, he won the ONE Interim Bantamweight Muay Thai World Championship.
In a full-circle moment, by winning the interim belt, Anane now gets a shot at redemption against Superlek. The Thai phenom is promising a different version the second time around.
“Two years ago, I didn’t know nothing about small [4-ounce] gloves. I didn’t have this experience. I’m totally different. Very different. It was a big lesson, and I learned a lot in that fight. I’m sure that it’s not going to be the same this time,” Anane admitted to ONE.
Anane’s streak was not just impressive by the wins but by the methods and opposition. He decimated Nakrob Fairtex, Kulabdam Sor Jor Piek Uthai, and Nico Carrillo.
He attributed much of that to the stiff lesson he learned in his debut.
“I’m still learning every day, and what happened to me last time,” he said. “I wouldn’t let it happen again. It was quite a hard time, but I was just a kid, and I grew up a lot. If I didn’t have that lesson, maybe I wouldn’t be here today. But it happens, you know? I just learn from it and grow up.”
The camp for ONE 172 is a total team effort. Anane’s parents, coach Chris Foster, and head coach Mehdi Zatout have been mentoring him through it.
Bolstered by his support system, the towering Thai striker is ready for a monumental upset in Japan.
“I’m looking just for the win,” he said. “I just want to beat Superlek. I don’t even think about the belt. I just want the win. I just want to beat Superlek. That’s it. That’s what I want in this fight.”
ONE 172: Rodtang vs. Takeru airs live on Sunday, March 23, from Japan on global pay-per-view via watch.onefc.com.
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