"I expected to knock him out with a head kick" - Superbon reveals he eyed trademark finish versus Jo Nattawut
In a perfect world, Superbon would have loved to put Jo Nattawut away with his sniper-like right head kick in the main event of ONE Friday Fights 81 on Sept. 27.
The Thai megastar and ONE interim featherweight kickboxing world champion returned to the thick of the action inside the revered Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, last Friday, continuing his Muay Thai charge against No.2-ranked contender 'Smokin' Jo Nattawut.
He needed only 103 seconds of their joust to drop his foe with a quickfire stinging elbow, one which even the cameras inside the Mecca of Muay failed to capture to precision in real-time.
As pleased as he was to reel in his third highlight-reel finish under the ONE spotlight to secure a $50,000 performance bonus, the Superbon Training Camp head honcho would have much preferred to bank on his trademark tool to make a statement.
Speaking to Nick Atkin after the tie, the 34-year-old shared:
"Normally, I want to go for a bit longer (the duration of the fight). But I didn't expect to knock him out with an elbow. I expected to knock him out with a head kick."
Whether or not he's pleased with the manner of his win, there's no denying that he's pushed himself one step closer to Tawanchai PK Saenchai's featherweight Muay Thai gold.
Before that comes to fruition, though, the top-ranked contender will have to sit back and see how the fight between 'Smokin' Jo and Tawanchai unfolds at ONE 169: Atlanta on Nov. 8.
Watch Superbon's full interview with Nick Atkin here:
Superbon should be able to mount a better challenge in Tawanchai rematch down the road
Based on his confident and aggressive output inside the Mecca of Muay Thai last Friday, Superbon seemed to have sorted out a winning formula whenever he struts his stuff in four-ounce gloves.
Though his performance in his world title fixture against Tawanchai at ONE Friday Fights 46 was right up there, the 34-year-old lacked a bit of forward pressure and aggression to impress the judges at ringside, especially when you throw in Tawanchai's accuracy and everything else that he does to perfection.
That said, the interim kickboxing king showed some progress in terms of blending in his weapons and going in for the kill from the start of this fight.
While Tawanchai could still be a far more dangerous force to deal with, a similar strategy for the striking veteran could certainly allow him to have a better chance at victory when they do meet in the future.
For now, relive his epic display at ONE Friday Fights 81 via the promotion's official YouTube channel or at watch.onefc.com.