ONE Fight Night 8: Superlek Kitmoo9’s Road To Rodtang Jitmuangnon

Singapore, March 7: The co-main event of ONE Fight Night 8 will see ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Champion Superlek Kiatmoo9 and fellow promotional flyweight Muay Thai king Rodtang Jitmuangnon clash in a battle for the ages.

But it's Superlek's undeniable journey that sees him make the first defense of his newly won crown on Saturday, 25 March, from the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

Following a tough end to 2021 in which he lost to Ilias Ennahachi in his first bid for the ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Title, Superlek swore to be more aggressive and more ferocious than ever before in ONE Championship.

Fans saw his attitude adjustment last May at ONE 157 in the ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Grand Prix semifinals against Taiki Naito, cruising through the tough Japanese striker to pick up the unanimous decision and progress in the tournament.

"The Kicking Machine" quickly became a favorite to win the Grand Prix. And when he met Walter Goncalves later in the year, he showed one of his best promotional outings.

Superlek managed to stop the Brazilian with a first-round knockout, stunning him with a sharp inside elbow that knocked Goncalves to the ground. He was given no recovery period, though, as Superlek picked up the pressure, closed the distance, and landed one more elbow for good measure, leaving Goncalves unable to answer the referee's count.

In what would have been the tournament finale at ONE 164 had both Superlek and Panpayak Jitmuangnon made weight, the former defeated long-time rival Panpayak in catchweight action.

The victory took the Thai standout's streak to three in a row, and he was ready to rematch Ennahachi for the World Title once again.

That wasn't to be, however, as the Dutch-Moroccan could no longer make the flyweight limit and was forced to relinquish his crown, leaving an opportunity for Superlek to claim the divisional strap.

Just over one year after his initial bid, January's ONE Fight Night 6 saw Superlek battle Spain's Daniel Puertas for the ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Title.

Superlek's character and arsenal had never looked so good. Stoic, calm, and with his striking crisper than ever, he breezed past Puertas over the course of five rounds to claim the gold.

Now a champion, he will meet compatriot Rodtang in his first defense of his ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Title. Rodtang has solemnly sworn to claim the gold and unify himself as the undisputed flyweight striking champion.

Both are on hot streaks in The Home of Martial Arts, and with more than just bragging rights on the line, March's fracas will see who wants it more.

Source: Media Release