Nabil Anane’s Path From Two-Minute Debut Loss To Two-Sport ONE Championship Dreams
Nabil Anane’s promotional debut lasted two minutes. Superlek stopped him in their flyweight Muay Thai encounter in 2023, and the loss carried more weight than any defeat should for someone who’d become the youngest fighter to win a WBC Muay Thai World Title. Rather than folding under the setback, the Algerian-Thai striker went back to work, addressed his weaknesses, sharpened his strengths, and rebuilt with patience.
The result was a remarkable turnaround — an undefeated run from flyweight to featherweight across eight appearances in Muay Thai and kickboxing that transformed loss into foundation for something greater.
In 2025 alone, the 21-year-old defeated knockout artist Nico Carrillo in the first round to claim the ONE Interim Bantamweight Muay Thai World Title, then overcame Superlek himself to reach undisputed status, erasing the sting of their first meeting.
After proving himself as the top force in Muay Thai, he transitioned into bantamweight kickboxing and dominated former ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Champion Ilias Ennahachi before an unfortunate no contest. He then moved up to featherweight to overwhelm former K-1 Champion Hiromi Wajima across three rounds at ONE 173, showcasing his ability to compete across weight classes and disciplines.
“If I can do the same thing as 2025, it would be great. There is no secret to my success. I’ll just continue to work hard and have discipline all the time — that’s it. It’s easy to know how, but it’s hard to do,” Anane said.
Now the Team Mehdi Zatout representative has his sights set on adding another gold strap in kickboxing, naturally bringing him toward reigning ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Champion Jonathan Haggerty, who was initially scheduled to face him last November before an injury forced his withdrawal. Anane remains open to the matchup in either discipline, acknowledging the British superstar’s dangerous toolkit while maintaining confidence in his own abilities.
“I think it’s just Haggerty left [in Muay Thai]. Let’s see. I also want to see what happens [when I fight Haggerty]. He has good footwork, he has good elbows, and good punches,” he said.
Beyond Haggerty, Japanese standout Yuki Yoza has caught the champion’s attention after a string of statement victories in 2025 that included wins over Elbrus Osmanov, Petchtanong Petchfergus, and Superlek. The former K-1 Champion has established himself as a frontrunner for a future title shot, but Anane remains decidedly unimpressed.
“I don’t know what to say [about Yoza’s performances]. I haven’t seen things that impressed me in his style of fighting. He’s strong, yes, that’s what is impressive. But he hasn’t fought someone like me who is really hard to deal with and keeps distance well,” he said.
“He’s been talking a lot also, and sometimes it annoys me. Let’s see if he can break my leg.”
READ MORE: Conor McGregor Secures $23 Million Business Investment From Donald Trump
Recent posts
