Nabil Anane admits Superlek's night off at ONE 172 was surprising: "I don't know what happened to him"

Superlek 'The Kicking Machine' Kiatmoo9 took back Nabil Anane through unusual ways leading up to their bantamweight Muay Thai clash at ONE 172, noting how different the striking maestro seemed from his typical composed demeanor.

The 21-year-old Thai-Algerian outclassed the pound-for-pound great in what was supposed to be a back-and-forth war at Tokyo's Ariake Arena.

Speaking to the South China Morning Post (SCMP), Nabil Anane shared:

"I was surprised. I remember the faceoff with Superlek because he's always super respectful and very humble as well. But I remember he was really angry that day. I don't know what happened to him."

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He continued by saying:

"I was supposed to be the one who was angry, you know, because I came on weight and everything, and he didn't come on weight. He missed weight and stuff, and he put the blame on me."

Superlek and Anane were scheduled to throw down for five rounds to unify the bantamweight Muay Thai crown. However, 'The Kicking Machine' missed weight during the official weigh-in ceremony and was subsequently stripped of his title.

Anane, who recently swapped his interim world title belt for the undisputed title, however, doesn't hold any grudge against the Kiatmoo9 Gym product. The reigning ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world champion knows that sometimes things don't go as planned.

If Superlek is ready to throw down for a third time on the global stage of ONE Championship, the scores are currently tied at one apiece, the Team Mehdi Zatout star wouldn't think twice about putting pen to paper to give fans a proper five-round scrap between two elite strikers.

Watch Anane's full interview with SCMP below:

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Nabil Anane opens up about potential kickboxing switch

Nabil Anane has been getting himself ready for a kickboxing stint in the organization, with the ultimate goal of achieving a historic feat as a two-sport, three-division world champion in ONE Championship. That said, the 21-year-old admits there could be a world of challenges that lie ahead.

In the same interview with SCMP, the Team Mehdi Zatout star offered:

"If I go into kickboxing, it will be hard for me also because I have never fought in kickboxing. I've fought only once, and I don't have much experience, you know, in kickboxing, so, but I think it will be fun. So I want to go into kickboxing, you know."

All eight of his appearances in the promotion have come in his bread and butter, Muay Thai. The young star currently enjoys a seven-fight winning streak in ONE Championship.

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Edited by Himakshu Vyas