“I can always be better,” Ennahachi said after his win. “But it was very good, and I’m very happy. I showed people I’m always strong in bantamweight.”

Placed on the earlier portion of the evening’s card, and with no television interview let alone a performance bonus after his win, it would have been easy to feel bitter, as if he was being snubbed.

His coach Said El Badaoui certainly seemed less than happy, voicing some discontent from off camera during his fighter’s interview with the Post backstage.

But for his part, Ennahachi played nice.

“Yeah, I think I have the best fight of this night and why I don’t have the bonus I don’t know, but no problem,” he said. “I show the people a real fight. I want to say thanks to ONE Championship and Chatri for this opportunity, and onto the next.”

Ennahachi was stripped of his belt after telling the Singapore-based martial arts promotion he would not be able to make weight for a long-proposed rematch against Superlek Kiatmoo9 at ONE Fight Night 6 in January.

ONE chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong then made some scathing remarks regarding the former champ days before that event in Bangkok.

“Some people when they win the belt, they want to say when all was said and done they were a champion for three of four years, because you don’t see the asterisk which is you didn’t fight at all, which is what you saw with Ilias Ennahachi, he didn’t fight,” Chatri told the Post in Bangkok.

“In my opinion the judges got it wrong last time [in February 2021], you saw visibly Ennahachi broke during the fight. He just quit fighting and started running. Superlek should have been the rightful winner.

“We tried to make that rematch happen many times, and this excuse and that excuse, and finally we thought he’s really gonna make it. But we knew he’s scared and lo and behold he pulls out saying he can’t make weight, which I heard from his gym mates was BS.

“So he’s moving up in weight on purpose to avoid the fight, that’s what his teammates have told us. I don’t know if that’s true, but that’s the gossip on the circuit.”

Superlek went on to win the vacant title with a unanimous decision over Spain’s Daniel Puertas. But when Chatri’s words were put to Ennahachi last week, he smiled and gave his side of the story.

“I let the people see today and I want to show Chatri of course I am a real fighter and I come here to fight,” he said. “I feel at my best in bantamweight and I’m not scared of Superlek, I’m scared of nobody – only Allah, you know.

“I want to fight with him but it’s very difficult for me to make the weight. Let Superlek, let Rodtang, let everybody come to bantamweight and I fight with them, no problem.

“It was very hard for me [to lose the title]. My manager called to say it’s official, you are not the flyweight champion. I cried, but it is better for me, for my body. I want to show people I’m a real fighter, a strong fighter.”

With the ring rust shaken off, Ennahachi is now targeting a return to the biggest stage in ONE – a Fight Night card broadcast on Amazon’s Prime Video streaming service.

“Of course I want to fight with the big boys, because I am the big boy,” he added. “I let the people see I am real fighter but next time I go to fight on the big event.”

A title fight with his new division’s champion, Petchtanong Petchfergus, has already been mooted, and the new bantamweight contender loves the idea.

“Great, because the title is mine,” Ennahachi said. “I want my title. I give the flyweight title back, and now I want the bantamweight.

“I’m ready. Next month, two months, three months, four months – let’s go, because I am ready now. I can fight again right now if you want, let’s do it.”