Superlek Kiatmoo9, the ONE flyweight kickboxing champion and one of the pound-for-pound best strikers on the planet, was supposed to face fellow Thai star Rodtang Jitmuangnon at ONE Fight Night 8, but when the ONE flyweight Muay Thai champion pulled out last minute, Aussie Danial Williams stepped in to save the day.
The first round saw Superlek work his kicking from distance to continually do attrition to Williams. A moment of excitement came when Williams caught a kick and threw a punch which pushed the Thai to the mat. Still, Superlek chipped away at him all round.
The second round saw Superlek do more of the same, but he opened up more. He started to use jump knees and he hurt Danial with one about halfway through the round. The Australian was tough though, and would not go away, despite being on the back foot the whole time eating kicks. Williams also could not get into the range he wanted to be in to land strikes, Superlek’s defense and longer weapons were expert at keeping him safe.
Body kicks, teep kicks, step-in knees, leg kicks, head kicks, Superlek threw it all in round three. Halfway through the round a massive head kick from Superlek which landed the knee on the head of Williams, sending him to the mat. He got up, somehow, and was surprisingly stable on his feet, but could not withstand the barrage Superlek then sent his way; an step-in knee started it, then a pair of uppercuts, a left, and a right shut the lights off, putting Williams out cold.
Superlek went and bowed to his boss, Chatri Sityodtong, following the win and embraced his opponent when Danial had regained consciousness. He retained his spot as champion with an impressive performance, which at this point is what is expected from a champion of his caliber.
Still, the Rodtang fight looms large, and is the fight that everyone wants to be made, though Rodtang is booked for a fight in May. Indeed, Superlek said in his post-fight interview that in his next fight he would like to challenge Rodtang for his flyweight world title. To cap off the night, Dom Lau announced that Superlek would receive at $50,000 bonus for his near-flawless performance.
Official Result: Superlek Kiatmoo9 def. Danial Williams by KO (knee and punches), Round 3, 1:55
