Finals Of ONE Flyweight Muay Thai Grand Prix Postponed Due To Superlek's Injury

Fans will have to wait a little bit longer to witness the epic conclusion of the ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Grand Prix.

The tournament finals pitting Superlek Kiatmoo9 against Panpayak Jitmuangnon was originally set to take place on the main card of ONE on Prime Video 3, which happens this Saturday, October 22 (October 21 in the United States) at the 16,000-capacity Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

However, Superlek took to social media to announce that he sustained a hand injury in training, which left him with no other choice but to pull out of the bout.

"I've been fighting for almost 20 years, and I've never backed down from any fight. I've never been afraid of my opponent, no matter who that person is. I had to withdraw because I got injured while training. It was difficult for me to train with an injury. I tried my best to save the fight," he wrote in his native tongue.

"A fight is a fight. This is very important to me. It's the fight that I've been waiting for. There's no reason that I wouldn't want to fight."

Superlek punched his ticket to finals by authoring a unanimous decision win over Taiki Naito in the quarterfinal round last May before making quick work of Walter Goncalves in the semifinals this past August.

On the other hand, Panpayak entered the Grand Prix picture by replacing Rodtang Jitmuangnon in the semifinals, where he scored a stunning second-round knockout victory over Savvas Michael.

Superlek and Panpayak are no strangers to each other as both men have shared the stage on numerous occasions, with the latter leading the rivalry with four wins, two losses, and one draw.

The promotion has yet to issue an official statement on Superlek's sudden pullout, despite releasing an updated lineup of bouts for ONE on Prime Video 3.

Most likely, it will be rebooked for a live event later this year or in early 2023.

ONE Championship has experienced several challenges throughout the Grand Prix, which included the shocking withdrawal of Rodtang from the tourney due to his failure to provide a sample for the mandatory hydration test.