Nabil Anane avenges his long loss, stunning Superlek with a unanimous decision victory at ONE 172

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

After their first encounter was ruled a draw back in 2020, Nabil Anane and Superlek Kietsumphan were set to square off once again at ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang in a five-round title unification bout for the undisputed ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world champion.

However, after failing to make the hydration requirements at the morning weigh-in, Superlek was stripped of his title and their clash was renegotiated as a three-round catchweight affair.

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.

In the end, all three judges would score the fight in favor of Anane, who took home a unanimous decision win.

With the victory, Anane got revenge on Superlek and snapped the Kicking Machine’s incredible 11-fight winning streak. 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.

Here are the highlights from their rematch: