Russian slugger Abdulla Dayakaev pulled off one of the biggest victories of his career on the global stage of ONE Championship. He also walked out of Lumpinee Stadium with the boos of a packed house ringing in his ears — and he could not have cared less.
The 24-year-old edged “The Kicking Machine” Superlek via split decision in their Muay Thai clash at The Inner Circle on May 15.
A first-round knockdown from a clean right hand swung the contest in “Smash Boy’s” favor. Superlek rallied back with some vicious combinations and attacks in the second and third rounds, but “Smash Boy’s” earlier knockdown proved decisive on the judges’ scorecards.
The result pushed Abdulla Dayakaev back into the winner’s column after his four-fight winning streak came to an end against newly crowned ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world champion Rambolek Chor Ajalaboon.
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It also has firmly put him back into the world title picture. The Thai crowd, however, had been firmly behind their hometown hero throughout the night — and the postfight reaction made it clear that the Russian’s emphatic upset was anything but well-received.
For Abdulla Dayakaev, the negative energy was simply background noise.
Speaking on Muay Thai Echo, the young gun explained why none of it bothered him.
“I’m prepared for this,” the Team Mehdi Zatout athlete said. “Superlek is legendary; everyone supports him. Maybe the crowd doesn’t love me. For me, it doesn’t matter. I will do my work.”
Check out the interview below:
Superlek ready to exact revenge against Abdulla Dayakaev
Abdulla Dayakaev’s unshakeable mindset could be his greatest weapon as he chases bantamweight Muay Thai gold.
For now, however, that dream will be put on hold as the world’s largest martial arts organization have pitted him in a rematch against Superlek at The Inner Circle on Aug. 7 inside Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium.
They collide in a bantamweight Muay Thai matchup.
Superlek, for his part, is eager to draw even in their rivalry after coming close to flipping the script when they collided last month.
In a post on his Instagram account (@superlek789), the ONE flyweight kickboxing world champion kept his message short and simple:
“Ready for revenge SPL ✌️.”
Edited by Joseph Schiefelbein
