“The size is different” - Superbon worried Superlek could be severely ‘damaged’ by Nico Carrillo
Interim ONE featherweight kickboxing world champion Superbon fears that his countryman and two-sport king Superlek Kiatmoo9 could suffer serious damage in a potential clash with Scottish sensation Nico Carrillo.
Earlier this month, Superlek shocked the world with a brilliantly timed elbow that caught Jonathan Haggerty clean at ONE 168: Denver, knocking 'The General' out less than a minute into their headliner in The Mile High City to claim the ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world champion.
Now carrier of the ONE bantamweight Muay Thai and flyweight kickboxing titles, 'The Kicking Machine' has a lot of potential challengers chomping at the bit to test themselves against him—including Carrillo.
Thus far, Nico Carrillo is a perfect 4-0 in ONE Championship with a 100% finish rate, including highlight-reel KOs against Nong-O Hama and Saemapetch Fairtex.
Speaking about a potential clash between Superlek and Carrillo, Superbon believes that his fellow Thai could be in for a rough night should the two superstars tussle on martial arts' biggest global stage.
"He’s different. For me, Superlek is too small," Superbon told the South China Morning Post. "He has the experience, the heart, and his skill is higher than Carrillo by a wide margin, but the size is different. When Superlek hits him he will not be that damaged, but if he hits Superlek, Superlek will be damaged."
Nong-O Hama agrees with Superbon's assessment of Superlek vs. Carrillo
Former ONE world champion Nong-O Hama—who knows all too well the size and power Nico Carrillo packs—offered a similar comment to SCMP MMA while previewing a hypothetical showdown between 'The Kicking Machine' and 'The King of the North.'
"Nico has a lot of advantages in terms of his physical condition, I feel like in this weight division, he looks the biggest. His muscles and everything are just there."
Nong-O Hama and Superbon will be back in action this Friday night when ONE Championship heads back to the legendary Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok for a loaded ONE Friday Fights 81 event airing live on pay-per-view.
Nong-O will take on unbeaten Russian standout Kiamran Nabati while Superbon will headline the card against 'Smokin' Jo Nattawut in a featherweight Muay Thai scrap that is sure to deliver fireworks in The Land of Smiles.
ONE Friday Fights 81 will air live and exclusively on pay-per-view on Friday, Sept. 27 at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. You can purchase the event exclusively on the official ONE Championship website.