Suakim Pongsuphan PK Teases Rematch With Nabil Anane: ‘I’m Game’
Career-defining wins usually come with trash talk or bad blood. Suakim Pongsuphan PK responded to his biggest upset with a friend request.
The 30-year-old Thai veteran toppled former ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion Nabil Anane via split decision in the main event of The Inner Circle 25, a fight that stood as the most daunting challenge of his 220-fight career. Staring up at an eight-inch height deficit, Suakim had to suppress his usual aggressive instincts for something far more calculated.
“I didn’t dare rush in or trade recklessly like other fighters because his strikes are seriously heavy, man, and he’s a very difficult opponent to fight,” he said.
That patience nearly cost him the opening round, but a corner pep talk shifted everything in round two. A right hook to the body and a deceptive left to the chin dropped Anane, a moment Suakim still describes with genuine disbelief.
“I felt it land flush. When he went down, I didn’t think he was hurt. But as soon as he got up, I saw his eyes rolling back. I was like, ‘Damn, he’s actually rocked!’ Just as the referee moved in for the count, I felt this rush of excitement, thinking, ‘Wow, I actually wobbled him,'” he said.
“But at the same time, I knew round three was going to be absolute hell. He’d definitely come at me with everything he had.”
Anane’s furious third-round response tested every ounce of Suakim’s resolve, and hearing his own name read off the scorecards afterward brought pure relief. It also deepened an admiration for his young opponent that had nothing to do with the fight itself.
“When I first saw Nabil in person, I really liked him. I’d watched his funny videos on social media before we were ever matched up. Right after our fight, the first thing I told him was, ‘Bro, I’m gonna send you a Facebook request, okay?’
“But jokes aside, he’s still young and has so much room to grow. If he wants a rematch, I’m game.”
The win extended Suakim’s active winning streak to eight fights, the longest in the bantamweight Muay Thai division, and delivered a second $50,000 bonus in his last three outings, money he plans to save toward land and a business back home in Chanthaburi.
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