WATCH: Interim bantamweight Muay Thai champ Nabil Anane shifts to fifth gear in collection of nasty KOS ahead of ONE 172
Towering Muay Thai standout Nabil Anane has produced one of the most iconic runs in ONE Championship, culminating in capturing the ONE interim bantamweight Muay Thai world championship this past January at ONE 170.
The world's largest martial arts promotion compiled all three of his finishes thus far in ONE in an Instagram post, highlighted by his interim gold-winning first-round TKO of third-ranked ONE bantamweight Muay Thai competitor Nico Carrillo.
Check out the post below:
Anane's current run of form is a massive turnaround that not many expected to happen, especially after he succumbed to a one-punch body shot from two-sport ONE world champion Superlek Kiatmoo9 in his June 2023 promotional debut at ONE Friday Fights 22.
However, that defeat can be attributed to his youth as he was only 18 years old at the time. Having gained more knowledge and experience under the guidance of ISKA and WBC world champion Mehdi Zatout, the 6-foot-4 Thai-Algerian is now one of the most feared strikers in the 145-pound Muay Thai ranks.
He will look to become the undisputed king of the division by unifying the gold in a high-stakes rematch with reigning ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world champion Superlek at ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang on March 23 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.
Nabil Anane shares learnings from first loss to Superlek
Nabil Anane was rudely welcomed to the promotion by Superlek, who also holds the ONE flyweight kickboxing world championship. However, it was an experience that ultimately drove him to the six-fight winning streak he currently possesses.
During the ONE 172 press conference, the Team Mehdi Zatout star pupil said about the defeat:
"That loss was an important lesson to me. It motivated me to work hard and develop myself to be a better fighter."
ONE 172 will be available live on pay-per-view at watch.onefc.com.