New bantamweight Muay Thai king Superlek admits he was expecting a full five-round war against Jonathan Haggerty
Superlek Kiatmoo9 wasn't the only one that was expecting the main event of ONE 168 to be an all-out war in Denver.
When two elite strikers meet inside the circle, the fight can often be a high-level game of inches that comes right down to the wire. This wasn't the case on Sept. 6 at the Ball Arena despite many expecting to witness an all-time classic between the challenger and then-bantamweight Muay Thai world champion Jonathan Haggerty.
Less than a minute was all it took for Superlek to find the final blow in this fight as he stopped 'The General' with a perfectly timed elbow.
Despite finding the finish so early on, 'The Kicking Machine' wasn't relying on his ability to pick the right shot. He told Nick Atkin in a post-fight interview that battling with Haggerty for the full five rounds is what he was expecting:
"If the fight dragged on all the way to five rounds, I'm definitely ready, because I came here to fight Haggerty for five rounds, and I'm definitely ready to do that."
Watch the full interview below:
Superlek can do it all at the highest level
Superlek's highlight reel finish of Jonathan Haggerty was yet another example of how elite Superlek is in all areas.
Earlier this year, his five-round performance against Takeru Segawa showed how he can take control of a fight from the start and invest heavily in leg kicks that would pay off as the fight went on.
That Thai star is so difficult to prepare for because while he can fight incredibly tactically, he also only needs to make one correct read to shut the lights out.
The new two-weight and two-sport world champion may be best known for his kicks but you can't afford to sleep on any aspect of his game.
The full replay of ONE 168 is available on demand for Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.