The ONE Fight Night 8 had already provided lots of action and enthrallment to the fans. With a few superb bouts and a new champion in the co-main event. There were hardly any points that the audience could complain about. Danial Williams, the main eventer and the last-minute replacement for the injured Rodtang Jitmuangnon, had already stated that he didn’t feel any pressure regarding his matchup. Hence, many fans might agree that this mindset will propel him to put up a show for the audience without worrying about the result.
But, the current ONE Flyweight kickboxing world champion, Superlek Kiatmoo9, had his title on the line. Understandably, ‘The Kicking Machine’ would try his heart and soul to retain his title by winning this bout.
Superlek Kiatmoo9 and Danial Williams looked evenly matched in the initial rounds
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Both fighters took the circle after the pre-bout rituals and the energetic announcement from the dynamic ONE Championship ring announcer. The bout began with the traditional glove touch. Williams landed a straight right while Superlek attended a few kicks and landed one of them. Williams looked to his hands for attacking while Superlek went to his trusted kick-heavy style of fighting.
A clash of shins happened with a superb kick from Superlek. Williams sent Superlek to the ground once, but it wasn’t counted as a knockdown. Superlek dodged a couple of hands from Will and landed a hard leg kick. Williams’s left leg already showcased the effects right of Superlek’s kicks as the first round ended.
The second round began with a combination from Williams. After that, the pair traded a couple of kicks each. Superlek pressurized Williams into the fence with some more good kicks. He then landed a brutal flying knee and Williams looked a bit wobbled. But he managed to stay on his feet as they went into a clinch. Superlek landed another high kick to the chest of Williams. The second round concluded with that kick and looked a lot more in Superlek’s favor.
Superlek Kiatmoo9 started to take control as the clock progressed
It was ‘Mini T’ who started off round three with a kick. However, Superlek returned with a few kicks of his own. There was a wild exchange in which Superlek landed a kick and Williams fired a couple of hand shots. Another high knee from Superlek landed well on William’s body. ‘The Kicking Machine’ scored the first knockdown with a high kick that connected to the side of Williams’ head. Williams was clearly rocked by it.
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The referee separated the two and began the fight again as Williams answered the count. But he was still visibly wobbled. It helped Superlek land a few more clean strikes and send Williams to the ground once more, which didn’t leave him able to get back up. Referee Olivier Coste called a quick end to the bout, looking at Williams’ condition, declaring Superlek as the victor via a knockout.
In his post-fight interview, ‘The Kicking Machine’ stated, “So was in pressure for the first round. I couldn’t follow Williams much. But, I trusted my corner.” Revealing his future plans, Superlek also described, “My next goal will be to challenge Rodtang for his Muay Thai title. That’s my goal.”
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He was evidently delighted after being rewarded with a $50,000 bonus for his superb in-circle performance. “Big thanks to boss Chatri Sityodtong. Today, I’m the world champion because of him. My family got better because of him”.
A lot of fans already knew that surviving or defeating Superlek in kickboxing would have been a really uphill task for Williams. Many would also state that the result of this bout came out as it was expected.