“The Kicking Machine” Superlek Kiatmoo9 did not need any convincing when ONE Championship offered him Abdulla Dayakaev. He had already seen everything he needed to.
The reigning ONE flyweight kickboxing world champion faces the Russian knockout artist at The Inner Circle on Friday, emanating live in Asia primetime from the iconic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok.
He arrives at fight night looking to bounce back from consecutive losses that forced one of the most important resets of his career. The choice of opponent for that bounce-back attempt, however, was made the moment Dayakaev’s name was floated.
Superlek has long been a meticulous student of the game. The Buriram native had already studied tape on the Team Mehdi Zatout athlete across multiple high-level matchups, and his conclusion was immediate.
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This was a fight he was confident he could win — and one he was eager to take.
“When they offered me Abdulla Dayakaev, I said yes immediately. I’d seen him fight Rambolek (Chor Ajalaboon), and before that, he fought Nontachai (Jitmuangnon) at 155 pounds and also took on Yod-IQ (Or Pimolsri),” Superlek told ONE Championship in an exclusive prefight interview.
The flyweight kickboxing king added, “After watching his style, I felt like I could handle him, so I took the fight.”
Superlek breaks down Abdulla Dayakaev’s strengths and weaknesses ahead of fight night in Bangkok
Superlek Kiatmoo9 is extremely meticulous when it comes to getting ready for a fight. He’s done the same in the lead-up to his clash against the young Russian star.
“The Kicking Machine” dissected Abdulla Dayakaev’s complete world-class arsenal in the interview with the promotion.
While he recognizes that his dance partner’s knockout power is dangerous, the Thai megastar also believes that there are plenty of holes he can exploit when they trade leather in less than 24 hours.
“Abdulla’s strengths are his punches and his size,” the Kiatmoo9 Gym representative said. “I’ve watched many of his fights, and he mostly uses his power to overwhelm people. That’s his speciality. But he has weaknesses, too. I’m going to exploit the gaps I see and make sure I don’t just walk into his punches. I believe I can handle him.”
The Inner Circle on Friday will be available exclusively to fight fans with a monthly subscription at live.onefc.com.
Edited by Joseph Schiefelbein
