Reigning ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Champion Superlek Kiatmoo9 is all fired up for his next clash against Jonathan Haggerty at ONE 168: Denver scheduled for U.S. primetime on Friday, September 6 inside Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado. The Thai superstar is leaving no stone unturned in his preparation and seems to be a man on a mission. He has now roped in a sports scientist called Hook to oversee his diet and training sessions. The pair have been working together since June and Superlek seems excited to work with him. 

The 28-year-old shared the changes he has made in his training and said, “We’ve been doing weight training, making sure that strength is increased, but not too much muscle mass because I still want to be able to defend my belt at flyweight.”  

Superlek then shared some words of advice to every athlete and mentioned how working with a sports nutritionist helps elevate their game. “Every athlete should work with a nutritionist and a sports scientist. They can help you develop your potential in incredible ways. If you train alone without these two, you might reach a certain level, but with their help, you can take your performance to the next level.” Let us take a closer look at how the Thai superstar is training. 

Superlek Kiatmoo9 is putting in the hard yards to prove he is the best 

With a lifetime of training under his belt, ‘The Kicking Machine’ is one of the best strikers in the world. He is currently unbeaten in his last ten fights, but has taken on a completely new challenge in his career. Superlek is now moving up a weight class to challenge the 28-year-old Jonathan Haggerty. The stakes are high in the clash and the Thai superstar seems to be a man on a mission. One of the biggest challenges for Hook and Superlek will be to pack on enough size and muscle for his fight against Haggerty.

This is where the role of the sports scientist comes in handy, as he has a lot of knowledge and Superlek himself pointed out that he is enjoying working with Hook. The young sports nutritionist met the Thai superstar at a meet-and-greet in 2023. Just like most people, even he was a fan and is now helping him prepare for his next clash. Haggerty is one of the most conditioned athletes in the sport and the 28-year-old needs to be in top shape to counter his threat. Superlek will also have to make sure he makes weight while hydrated, consistent with ONE’s Global rules.

Surprisingly, he has missed weight and hydration ahead of his two big fights previously. At ONE 164 in December 2022, he was slated to take on Panpayak Jitmuangnon at the ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Grand Prix tournament final. Both fighters failed to make weight, and as a result, it was turned into a catchweight clash. Later, he was scheduled to fight Rodtang Jitmuangnon for the ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Title at ONE Friday Fights 34 in September last year. Despite beating Rodtang, he couldn’t win the belt as he failed to make the weight. Hopefully, he can make weight with the help of a professional this time around, especially with how intense the rivalry brewing between Superlek and Haggerty. 

The pair recently clashed at ONE Friday Fights 72 with both fighters engaging in a heated face off. Superlek seemed to enjoy the battle and took to his social media to issue a warning to Haggerty. 

Superlek Kiatmoo9 warns Jonathan Haggerty ahead of their clash at ONE 168: Denver 

28-year-old Jonathan Haggerty might just be up for the toughest fight of his career till date. Widely recognized as one of the planet’s top pound-for-pound strikers across both Muay Thai and kickboxing, Superlek is desperate to win the ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Title next. Although there is a massive size difference between the pair, one cannot rule out the threat of ‘The Kicking Machine’. Moving up a division will be a new challenge for the 28-year-old, but his preparations are definitely on point. 

Such is the confidence that the Superlek isn’t quite bothered about the difference in size between both fighters. After their intense face off at ONE Friday Fights 72, he took to his Instagram account to share a message for his opponent. The 28-year-old said, “I got goosebumps, Haggerty, we were pushing. I was hyped. He’s bigger, but I don’t think it means much. On September 6, let’s see how much it matters.” Even Haggerty has stepped up his preparations and shared a picture of him after a training session hinting at his prime shape. ‘The General’ also warned Superlek with his caption and wrote, “I’m on a whole new level. I’m ready to keep what’s mine. @onechampionship 5 weeks to go 🤫 #ANDSTILL 🤴”. 

The highly anticipated clash is set to take place at ONE 168: Denver, with both fighters looking to prove a statement. Who do you think will win the fight? Let us know about it in the comments below.