ONE Championship: Superlek agrees catchweight after scale fail for Fight Night 12 main event

Saturday’s main event set to go ahead, with Superlek promising to ‘damage’ Tagir Khalilov after tense face-off in Bangkok

ONE’s flyweight kickboxing champion also insists he ‘wants to go’ against Rodtang despite recent claims to the contrary

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Superlek and Tagir Khalilov face off at the ONE Fight Night 12 ceremonial weigh-ins in Bangkok. Photos: ONE Championship

Published: 4:03pm, 14 Jul 2023

Superlek vowed to “damage” Tagir Khalilov in a tense face-off at Friday’s ONE Fight Night 12 ceremonial weigh-ins, after agreeing a catchweight for Saturday morning’s main event to go ahead.

“The Kicking Machine” came in a quarter of a pound heavy for his ONE Championship flyweight Muay Thai clash with Russia’s Khalilov, who will now take a percentage of his Thai opponent’s purse.

ONE’s flyweight kickboxing champion is making a turnaround after his first-round TKO victory at Lumpinee Stadium three weeks ago, and looked drained at Thursday night’s official weigh-ins and hydration tests.

He was in combative mood on Friday afternoon, though, approaching Khalilov with his hands tucked in his pockets and getting right up in his face, with ONE’s senior director of competition Ric Auty having to separate them on stage.

“I will try to finish the fight fast and I am sure that there will be damage on his face,” Superlek said via translator while pointing at Khalilov, to cheers from the smattering of Thais in the crowd at the Cielo Sky Bar in downtown Bangkok.

The 30-year-old “Samingpri” Khalilov, who trains out of Tiger Muay Thai in Phuket, was bullish about his chances of causing a huge upset at Lumpinee Stadium.