If you are a fan of Muay Thai or combat sports in general, then there is no doubt that you have heard the name Superlek Kiatmoo9. The Thai “Kicking Machine,” has been on an absolute tear in ONE Championship and is now, following his first-round victory over Jonathan Haggerty at ONE 168 in Denver, the undisputed Flyweight Kickboxing World Champion as well as the Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion.
Apart from being a multi-sport world champion, he is now ranked as the #7 pound-for-pound striker on the planet by Beyond Kickboxing and, prior to his contract with ONE, he won many accolades both in the prestigious Bangkok stadiums and internationally.
Superlek is the veteran of over 171 professional fights, and with 138 wins to his name there are a plethora of inspirational bouts that fans can find online that highlight the skill and finesse of this masterful kicker but to make it easier, we’ve found 7 of the best and collected them all into this article.
These 7 fights tell the story of Superlek’s amazing career, from his rise through the Bangkok stadiums to his elevation onto the international stage and, finally, his rise through the ONE rankings to become a multisport champion. So, if you are a fan of “The Kicking Machine,” and want to learn more about this modern-day legend; look no further. These seven bouts trace the journey of Superlek as he rose from Thai Champion to international, multi-sport phenomenon.
Superlek Kiatmoo9 Vs Muangthai (2012)
In 2012, the 17-year-old Superlek was on a tremendous run of form. He won 9 of his 11 fights at the historic Lumpinee Stadium that year, doing well enough to earn a shot at the 115lb stadium title. To win it, he needed to face another rising Thai legend; Muangthai “The Elbow Zombie” PKSaenchaigym.
Throughout the bout, Superlek used his long jab to keep the advancing Muangthai at bay and set up his trademark body kick. When Muangthai started to catch and sweep, he began to alternate between his kick and a step-through knee, locking on into the clinch whenever his adversary got in close as a way to protect himself from Muangthai’s trademark elbows. Though he was swept many times in rounds four and five, Superlek was able to grind out a well-earned win to capture his first Lumpinee Title.
Superlek Kiatmoo9 Vs Mondam Sor Werapon (4th) (2013)
Following his title victory in 2012, Superlek successfully defended his belt against Sangmanee to round out a stellar year and earned himself the prestigious accolade of Sports Authority Fighter of The Year. His next year, however, was not as successful. Superlek only won 7 of his 13 bouts at the prestigious stadium.
Two of his losses that year came at the hands of Mondam Sor Werapon, whom Superlek had defeated late into his breakthrough 2012 run. The two men faced for the fourth time in June 2013 for the 118lb Lumpinee Title and showed each other a lot of respect in the opening rounds, using probing jabs to explore openings for their scoring strikes.
In the 3rd round, however, Superlek found an early home for his rear uppercut elbow and the dynamic shifted. He began throwing it off the back of his long jab with constant success. It landed several times, mixed between knees, kicks, and teeps until the frustrated Mondam changed tempo and, in an attempt to pressure his adversary, charged directly onto a fight-ending elbow that earned Superlek his second Lumpinee Title.
Superlek Kiatmoo9 Vs Chris Shaw (2017)
Following his second Lumpinee Title victory, Superlek had a successful 2014 and less than-ideal run in 2015, where he only won 1 fight out of 8. He turned this around in 2016, winning 5 fights in a row and capturing the WBC Featherweight Muay Thai World Title against Seksan at Lumpinee to earn the first international bout of his career. His next fight was in Japan, on the Wan Chai Muay Thai promotion.
It took Superlek less than two rounds to figure out the range and timing of his Japanese opponent, Yasuyuki, before he finished him with a right head kick. Though it wasn’t the most exciting fight of Superlek’s career, the event marked a pivotal moment for “The Kicking Machine.” The eye of the world was now on the Thai Champion and over the next few years he became an international star, fighting opponents in the UK, Japan, and Hong Kong between his regular clashes in the Bangkok stadiums.
His first international fight came and went without much pageantry and the Thai star remained mostly underrated by the international community until his second international bout on Yokkao 27 against Scotsman, Chris Shaw.
Shaw was reportedly disrespectful towards Superlek in the lead-up to this fight. Superlek responded in the center ring by throwing everything but the kitchen sink at the Scottish fighter in the very first round, cutting him twice in the first thirty seconds and maintaining the aggression for the full five rounds to earn a unanimous victory and the respect of the British crowd.
Superlek Kiatmoo9 Vs Panpayak (2020)
After his first international win, Superlek spent the next few years cementing his name as one of the best strikers on the planet. He defeated Thai stars Muangthai, Seksan, and Sangmanee in the Thai stadiums and even stopped a fresh-faced Jonathan Haggerty in front of the Englishman’s home crowd in 2018.
However, during this period of relative success, Superlek was consistently trounced by the Thai nemesis, Panpayak Jitmuangnon. He faced the Thai 4 times between 2016-2018 and only won once. Prior to this, the two men had fought twice, resulting in one loss and one draw for Superlek.
In 2020, shortly after being signed to ONE Championship, Superlek was offered a chance at redemption. On his third bout on the esteemed promotion, Superlek faced his adversary for the 7th time.
Superlek opened the first round by cautiously pressing forward, keeping Panpayak on the ropes while he chopped away with leg kicks. In the second, he maintained the pressure, kicking higher to the body and getting the last say in several exchanges. The final round was more of the same, both men playing a high-stakes chess match of body kicks and clinch but inevitably, it was Superlek who won unanimously.
This bout seemingly turned the tide on their rivalry. When the two men faced again, for the 8th time in 2022, Superlek won again, securing the final two victories in their historic rivalry.
Superlek Kiatmoo9 Vs Rodtang Jitmuangnon (2023)
In September 2023, Superlek had fought on ONE a total of 11 times, and apart from a controversial loss against Ilias Ennahachi in February 2021, his record was without blemish. There was only one other man who held such a pristine record at this time and fans were wild with speculations over who was the premier striker in the global organization.
The other man, of course, was “The Iron Man,” Rodtang Jitmuangnon, who had fought on ONE 15 times and had never lost a Muay Thai or Kickboxing match on the promotion.
Rodtang was the reigning Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion, while Superlek had captured the Flyweight Kickboxing Title earlier that year. The fight was supposed to be for Rodtang’s title and was a chance to unify the striking belts, but unfortunately, Superlek missed weight and was ineligible to claim the strap.
The two men put on what was heralded as the best Muay Thai fight on ONE in 2023 and over three rounds of back-and-forth action, they battered each other bloody. Rodtang cut Superlek in the first round, turning his bleach-blond hair crimson but “The Kicking Machine” returned fire with an elbow of his own in round two, dropping “The Iron Man” for an 8-count that inevitably secured the champion a victory in an incredibly narrow bout.
Superlek Kiatmoo9 Vs Jonathan Haggerty (2024)
Superlek claimed two more scalps following his clash with Rodtang, taking unanimous points victories against kickboxing prodigy, Takeru Segawa, and fellow Thai, Kongthoranee Sor Sommai in the first half of 2024.
Then, as the main event in the historic ONE 168 in Denver, Superlek stepped up from Flyweight to Bantamweight to challenge reigning Muay Thai Champion, Jonathan Haggerty, in the promotion’s main event.
Haggerty had moved to Denver months ahead of the bout to acclimatize himself to the thin air that the city, standing one mile above sea level, is known for. Superlek however arrived on fight week, leaving many fans speculating about whether or not his gas tank would be able to last the full five rounds of the championship bout.
We’ll never know whether he was prepared for the elevation or not, because it only took the Thai 49 seconds to flatten his British opponent with a massive elbow to claim the Bantamweight Muay Thai crown and become a multi-sport and multi-weight ONE World Champion.
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