ONE on Prime Video 8 Main Event Breakdown: Superlek vs. Williams

Live coverage of ONE on Prime Video begins Friday at 7 pm ET/ 4 pm PT on the official ONE Championship YouTube channel and Facebook page. All told, this week’s card features 10 fights across MMA, kickboxing, Muay-Thai, and submission-only grappling.

As usual, ONE on Prime Video 8 is available to subscribers of Amazon Prime Video without a fee to viewers in the United States and Canada only. Outside of North America, ONE on Prime Video 8 will be accessible as a pay-per-view through the ONE Championship Website.

Third Different Headliner Serves as ONE on Prime Video 8 Main Event

The promotion hasn’t had much luck in keeping a headlining bout for Friday night. At first, the ONE Heavyweight Championship in MMA was to have been the ONE on Prime Video 8 main event, but that contest between Arjan Bhullar (11-1 MMA, 2-0 ONE Championship) and Anatoly Malykhin (12-0, 4-0 ONE Championship) was scrubbed amid a change in media rights.

At that point, ONE turned its focus to kickboxing for the headliner, and it looked as though incumbent ONE Flyweight Champion Superlek Kiatmoo9  (131-29-4 combat sports, 8-1 ONE Championship) and challenger (and current ONE Flyweight Muay-Thai Champion) Rodtang Jitmuangnon (270-42-10 combat sports, 11-0 ONE Championship) would do battle.

However, on Wednesday, just two days before the card, Rodtang was forced to withdraw from ONE on Prime Video 8 due to injury. The fight is preserved thanks to No. 5 strawweight (125 lbs.) Muay-Thai and MMA contender Danial Williams (24-8 kickboxing, 0-1 ONE Championship) stepping in on late notice.

As with all kickboxing championship fights, the new ONE on Prime Video 8 main event will be a maximum of five rounds at three minutes per round to close the show.

Note: The three-knockdown rule is in effect on Friday night. Should a fighter land three knockdowns against his adversary in one round or four knockdowns in a fight, that man will win the championship by TKO.

ONE on Prime Video 8 Main Event Fighter Comparison

Heading into this flyweight championship bout, champion Superlek Kiatmoo9 stands as the taller competitor at 5-foot-7, compared to the 5-foot-6 frame of Danial Williams. In addition, Superlek owns a 1.3-inch reach advantage (69 inches even to 67.7 inches) over Williams.

Although betting odds for ONE on Prime Video 8 were released Wednesday, due to the late change in the main event, the oddsmakers had yet to release a favorite and underdog for the headliner as of Wednesday night. If you plan on betting on this or any other fight happening this weekend, please wager responsibly.

Could Superlek Still Get a Fight With Rodtang at a Later Date?

Superlek Kiatmoo9 enters the restructured ONE on Prime Video 8 main event having posted a record of 5-0 between kickboxing and Muay-Thai over his last five bouts. A little over two months ago, he scored a unanimous decision after five rounds versus Daniel Puertas (32-9 kickboxing, 1-2 ONE Championship) to keep the title.

Prior to Rodtang Jitmuangnon being forced off of the show, he and Superlek were slated to square off against one another on Friday night. With the planned main event now by the boards, the possibility of a rebooking versus Rodtang is very much in play when he fully recovers.

Prior to the postponed bout, Superlek had hoped that fans would be able to relish a cracking affair this weekend, outcome notwithstanding.

“Don’t just be happy only when your athlete wins,” Superlek said. “You should support him on the day he loses, as well. Fan support and encouragement is good energy for fighters to come back and fight again. I think these are very good things. I want everyone to understand this.”

How will Superlek respond to the 11th-hour opponent change? Tune in and find out.

Danial Williams Enters on Short Notice and with High Stakes

In the other corner, Danial Williams has gone 3-2 across Muay-Thai and MMA in his last five contests. Last time out, he was stopped (third-round knockout: punches) against Jeremy Miado (10-4 MMA, 6-4 ONE Championship on Oct. 21.

Initially, he was slated to have fought Rui Botelho (2-5 combat sports, 1-5 ONE Championship) in a nontitle Muay-Thai fight on Friday evening, but on Wednesday, he agreed to the kickboxing championship. Having to come in on two days notice for a fight is never an easy task.

It’s made all the more daunting once you consider the fact that he entered fight week with no shot to win the title and now he’ll be fighting for a championship. Will he respond to the higher stakes?

Analysis, Film Study, and Prediction

Despite the late change in opponent, the ONE on Prime Video 8 main event is still a dead heat in terms of fighting style. Both Superlek and Williams are Muay-Thai fighters by trade. Thus, it stands to reason that as little as one blow can end this fight.

Watch For Superlek’s Leg Kicks and Elbows

Superlek Kiatmoo9 can be absolutely brutal with kicks to his opponent’s legs, something that Taiki Naito found out the hard way in May of last year. During the second round of a scheduled three, Naito opened things up with a low blow, causing a temporary stoppage in the action.

Once the fight resumed, Superlek went to work right away with leg kicks, resulting in the latter’s right leg becoming red. Naito counterstruck with kicks of his own, but as the round progressed, Superlek began to mix up his strikes by scoring with elbow shots, while the two fighters threw leg kicks at each other.

With about a minute to go in the round, Superlek tried to close the show with relentless and repeated elbows against the cage fence, peppered with body shots. Even though these strikes didn’t result in a knockout, they went a long way in giving Superlek the victory.

If Superlek comes out like a house on fire, it’s his world in the ONE on Prime Video 8 main event.

Danial Williams Has a Nice Cross

In the other corner, watch for Danial Williams to land punches in bunches. Last year, Williams fought Zelang Zhaxi, While they traded strikes in this MMA fight, about two minutes in, he landed a cross and fired off some right-handed punches. Zelang was unable to counterpunch.

Zelang peppered Williams with leg kicks and a nicely-placed two punch combination. With just under 40 seconds left in the round, Williams finished him off with a right cross to send him down and out. If Williams can land copious punches, the No. 5 contender will be a champion by the time this one is through.

Final Thoughts

Though this came together on under 72 hours’ notice, this should be a good fight in the ONE on Prime Video 8 main event. Order the party sub now.

Prediction: Superlek Kiatmoo9 by Unanimous Decision.

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