Superlek insists Rodtang ‘not afraid of me’ after ducking claims

“In my opinion, [neither of us] are afraid,” 27-year-old Superlek told ONE’s official website. “It’s purely an accident that caused our earlier fight to be cancelled. He got injured from training.

“I never see any opponent as afraid of me. They all want to fight with me. Especially for Rodtang, he is a world-class superstar. There is no reason for him to fear me.”

Since their fight was cancelled, Superlek has reeled off three finishes including two in Muay Thai, marking himself out as the clear No 1 contender for Rodtang’s title.

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“This is a dream match for Thai and global fans,” he said. “I think the matchmakers want to put on the biggest main events that every fan wants to see. The fight between Rodtang and me has been highly anticipated for a long time.

“I think it’s the perfect time for us to fight each other. We couldn’t run from each other any longer. The time has come right now.

“I have had an eye on Rodtang for as long as he has competed in five-round Muay Thai. I used to compete at Lumpinee and Rajadamnern Stadiums like him. I knew that sooner or later, our paths would cross.

“It was my initial intention to climb the rankings to fight with Rodtang and become the Muay Thai champion. There are no other potential contenders left to challenge him in this division, except for me.

“I would prefer to fight with foreign opponents rather than with compatriots. But now, we don’t have any potential opponents left, so our paths must collide.”

Superlek, who weighed in as the backup fighter for Rodtang’s successful title defence against Edgar Tabares at ONE’s on-ground US debut in May – admitted his friendship with his fellow Thai had also held up a potential showdown.

“I’m fairly close to him,” he said. “Rodtang is such a nice guy. We used to play football together. He’s humble and funny. He is one of those fighters that young fighters should look up to.

“We used to tease each other about our fight, saying we shouldn’t fight each other. But we realised that sooner or later, we couldn’t avoid it.

“Last time we had a chat, we talked about this fight, and he said, ‘Wait a bit. I still don’t want to fight you’. But we are professional fighters and we must do our jobs when the matchmakers throw any opponent our way.”