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ONE flyweight kickboxing world champion Superlek Kiatmoo9 doesn’t mind being outside the limelight.
‘The Kicking Machine’, after all, knows he is arguably one of the pound-for-pound best strikers in the world today and doesn’t need any validation whatsoever.
As such, the unassuming Thai megastar says doesn’t have a problem not being as popular as his fellow ONE flyweight athletes Takeru Segawa and Rodtang Jitmuangnon.
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Superlek said in a South China Morning Post interview:
“Well, I understand that Takeru is a Japanese superstar with a lot of following. But I do not wish to be like him. It’s not my intention to be like him. I’m happy that I’ve won against him and that’s it. I want to continue my life and my work as usual.”
Watch Superlek’s full SCMP MMA interview:
Superlek certainly no longer needs to prove himself since he already bested fan favorites Takeru and Rodtang convincingly.
Popularity-wise, fans have grown to appreciate ‘The Kicking Machine’ over the years, and he’s no longer the underrated gem that he once was.
The 28-year-old boldly entered enemy territory at ONE 165 in Japan last month and garnered an even bigger following after decimating Takeru across five rounds.
The replay of Superlek’s incredible performance can be watched on demand via watch.onefc.com.
Superlek admits he felt "overlooked" when Takeru kept calling out Rodtang
Apart from keeping his 26 pounds of gold in Thailand, Superlek had some added motivation against Takeru.
‘The Natural Born Crusher’ apparently underestimated him, since the Japanese star kept talking about a match with Rodtang before they shared the ring.
Superlek said in the same SCMP MMA interview:
“I personally don’t like people who overlook their opponents. And yeah, it fueled me more. It motivated me to go harder. I wanted to prove that I’m not a stepping stone, not someone who can be overlooked. However, I did take it hard when he said something like that.”
