Superlek steps into a bantamweight Muay Thai bout against Dagestan-born knockout artist Abdulla “Smash Boy” Dayakaev at The Inner Circle, streaming live for members at live.onefc.com from Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand on Thursday, May 15.

The 30-year-old carries a 139-31 career record and holds the ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Title, but arrives at Lumpinee on the back of consecutive bantamweight losses to Nabil Anane and Yuki Yoza last year. Both results stung. The Yoza defeat stung in a specific way because Superlek knows he lost it himself. He walked off the stage that night and told ONE Championship boss Chatri Sityodtong he wanted a rematch. First, Dayakaev stands in his way.

Superlek said yes to this fight without hesitation. He had watched Dayakaev against Rambolek Chor Ajalaboon, studied his style, and identified where the openings were. He knows the power is genuine. He also knows how to move around it, and he has spent this camp finding the blind spots to use to his advantage.

“When they offered me Abdulla Dayakaev, I said yes immediately. I’d seen him fight Rambolek, and before that, he fought Nontachai at 155 pounds and also took on Yod-IQ. After watching his style, I felt like I could handle him, so I took the fight,” he said.

“I want to show him that getting what he asked for isn’t going to be as easy as he thinks. It’s been years since I fought in Thailand. This time, I’m hungry. I want the knockout, and I believe I can do it. My training hasn’t been random; I’ve been finding his blind spots to use them to my advantage.”

Superlek wants to settle business with Yoza

Superlek has a clear picture of where this fight sits in the bigger plan. A win over Dayakaev puts him back in the title conversation at bantamweight and clears the path to the Yoza rematch he has been pushing for since November.

He pinpointed exactly what went wrong in that fight and has no intention of repeating it. The plan for Dayakaev is the opposite: active, aggressive, and built around the finish he has drilled all camp.

“My strength and my output — that day, I made the wrong call by waiting too much for the perfect opening. I overthought it, and I didn’t fight my own style. That created pressure. I didn’t expect him to counter every single move, while I just sat there waiting for a gap,” he said.

“Right after I lost to Yuki, I walked off the stage and told Chatri immediately that I wanted a rematch. If I could choose, I’d want to settle the score with Yuki.”