“It’s not the same” - Nabil Anane admits he had to change his style for kickboxing debut against Ilias Ennahachi

Reigning ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world champion Nabil Anane is preparing for his most challenging transition yet, in his bid to conquer two sports.

The towering Algerian-Thai striking sensation will make his kickboxing debut in the home of martial arts at ONE Friday Fights 126 in Bangkok's legendary Lumpinee Stadium on September 26, live in Asia primetime.

However, his first foray under a different ruleset won’t be a walk in the park.

Standing across the ring from him would be former ONE flyweight kickboxing world champion and current no.2-ranked bantamweight contender Ilias Ennahachi.

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Speaking to ONE ahead of this thrilling main-event match-up, the 21-year-old phenom shared how he’s adapting to the different ruleset and scoring system of kickboxing competition:

“I've been adapting for sure. I change my style for every single fight. This kickboxing fight will be no different. But what my style will be, you'll have to wait and see. But everyone will definitely see that it's not the same as when I fought Muay Thai.”

Anane boasts the complete arsenal of strikes in ‘Art of Eight Limbs’, but his technical prowess will indeed be tested in unfamiliar territory in kickboxing.

Still, the Team Mehdi Zatout star pupil’s frightening 6-foot-4 height and reach make him a tough task for anyone, even for a former champion like Ennahachi.

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Nabil Anane shares grand plan to conquer three divisions

Nabil Anane knows his body won't allow him to stay at 145 pounds forever.

While he's planning to defend the bantamweight Muay Thai crown for as long as he can, the 21-year-old is not ruling out moving to higher weight classes in the near future.

The Algerian-Thai wonder said in an earlier ONE Championship interview:

"My goal is to become a three-division champion. Bantamweight, featherweight, and lightweight. For these three divisions, I want to be a champion in both kickboxing and Muay Thai. So that's six belts. I want all six of them."

ONE Friday Fights 126 is free via ONE Championship's YouTube channel. Geo-restrictions may apply.

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Edited by Saiyed Adeem Karim