Superlek Obliterates Nabil to Show That Height Isn't Might
Superlek just proved that height isn’t might as he obliterated Muay Thai prodigy Nabil in one round at ONE Friday Fights 22. What some thought would be a challenging fight for the Kicking Machine turned out to be a walk in the park that was over in less than two minutes in the very first round.
Fresh from defending his ONE Flyweight Kickboxing title last March when he knocked out Danial Williams in 3 rounds, Superlek has been on a hot winning streak. He has won his last 8 fights, including 6 at ONE Championship.
Nabil, on the other hand, is one of the hottest and rising prospects in Muay Thai. The 6’2” beanpole has been a nightmare match-up for those in his weight class, which had recently been in the 126 and 135 lb. weight classes. He had been having a nice little streak of his own, winning 7 of his last 8 fights coming into the match-up with Superlek.
On paper, the fight was an interesting one, to say the least. After all, Nabil enjoyed an almost monstrous height and reach advantage over Superlek. Add the considerable length of his legs and you would think that Superlek is at a complete disadvantage in their fight.
However, for all of his physical advantages, Nabil cannot match Superlek in one aspect of his Muay Thai game - experience. That was evident as Superlek quickly adapted after experiencing a little difficulty at the start of the fight. His initial attempts at kicks fell a little short. The distance between him and Nabil seemed a little too great.
It became evident that Superlek would need to close the gap and get inside to land effectively. Whatever challenges that Superlek experienced were short-lived, though. Once he got the distance down, he was able to close in on Nabil and started punishing him with close-range attacks.
A short exchange between the two fighters was punctuated by a low kick from Superlek. It seemed to affect Nabil, who backpedaled to the corner, with Superlek in pursuit. Another short exchange was capped off by a vicious right straight to the body of Nabil, which caused him to crumple to the canvas. It was a KO Vicory for Superlek as Nabil was counted out by the referee.
With the win, Superlek improved his record to 133 wins, 29 losses, and 4 draws, while Nabile dropped his to 33 wins, 5 losses, and 1 draw. Superlek’s streak continues while Nabil’s came to a halt, at least for now.
So what’s next for the two fighters? For Nabil, it is back to the drawing board for the young prospect. Time is on his side though, as he is still only 19 and he can use this loss against a pound-for-pound great as a learning experience.
As for Superlek, after the match, he called out Jonathan Haggerty, the current ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai Champion. It would be an explosive battle, to be sure. But what would make it even more interesting is that the two had already fought once before. It happened during YOKKAO 31, held on October 13, 2018. Superlek won by TKO in the 2nd round. They have both arguably become better since then so a second fight is guaranteed to be a spectacular match-up. Although for now, Superlek can bask in this latest triumph.
