Superlek Kiatmoo9 defeated Jonathan Haggerty in 2018, but that is not good enough for the ONE Championship star.
Six years later, he is still wanting to prove he is the better man. He will get that chance at ONE 168: Denver on Friday, Sep. 6, in the main event. For Superlek, it is a long time coming.
“Haggerty has always been someone [I wanted] a rematch with since our first match in 2018. That fight was stopped by the ref. I won by TKO, but the crowd wasn’t happy. There was a lot of booing as if I didn’t deserve to win. I want to prove that I can still win the fight without a ref stopping it prematurely,” Superlek commented to ONE.
Although the ONE bantamweight Muay Thai title is on the line, Superlek is driven more by affirming the result of their first encounter. He wants to leave no doubt that he is the better striker.
“I’m not happy that I was questioned, as if I wasn’t able to win without the stoppage. I want to prove people wrong. I have always wanted a rematch,” Superlek said.
Self-admittedly, Superlek may act out of character inside the Ball Arena. The Thai superstar says he is going to use every drop of energy in his body during the title tilt and go for the knockout in his U.S. debut.
“This fight will be the first time ever I’ll go 100 percent all out, putting a lot of pressure. I will be aggressive. Fans may know us as technical fighters, but they can expect an explosive fight on September 6. I’m looking for a knockout. It’s high risk. I may lose my record of never being knocked out in my entire career, but I’m going for it. I’m giving my all for this fight,” the ONE Flyweight Kickboxing Champion remarked.
In the six years that followed their meeting, both men have ascended to international stardom in ONE and become champions.
As they have both grown as athletes, Superlek does not see weaknesses in “The General.” Instead, he says it will come down to the small intricacies during the contest that will decide who walks out of the Ball Arena with 26 pounds of gold.
“[Haggerty has] a lot of strengths, barely any weaknesses. He’s fast, has excellent footwork, and is a technical fighter with knockout power. He has a lot of tricks up his sleeves. He’s in his prime with lots of confidence. I wouldn’t say there are any weaknesses for him,” the Thai star described.
“Athletes at this level don’t really have so-called weaknesses. In my opinion, it’s all about the timing. It’s all about the openings, and I’ll be looking for them to finish the fight nicely.”
Even though he plans to be aggressive from the opening bell, Superlek also feels he could hold an advantage if the match goes into the championship rounds.
If that’s the case, he is preparing to drown the Brit in deep waters as well.
“I’d like to win by knockout. Haggerty has never reached the fourth round when defending his belt, but I have. It doesn’t matter if it’s cut short or goes the distance. I’ll find the opening to get the finish,” Superlek said.
ONE 168: Denver airs live on Friday, Sep. 6, from the Ball Arena on Prime Video at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. Remaining tickets for the event are on sale via Ticketmaster.