Nabil Anane’s kickboxing debut cut short, but Haggerty super-fight beckons at ONE 173

Nabil Anane’s first step into kickboxing under the ONE Championship banner ended in frustration, but he still took plenty of positives from his clash with former flyweight king Ilias Ennahachi.

Already the bantamweight Muay Thai world champion, Anane looked sharp and composed in front of a packed Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok on Friday.

The 6ft 4in 20-year-old used his reach to full effect, scoring an early knockdown and even mixing in spinning taekwondo attacks, before he accidentally kicked his opponent in the groin halting proceedings in the third round, leaving it ruled a no contest.

“I’m proud of the performance,” Anane said. “The first and second rounds were great. Everything was planned. I was relaxed and everything went well.

“Of course I was not happy with how it ended, but I hope everyone liked my performance. Next time I’ll do better.”

Tensions were already high before the opening bell. Ennahachi, who at 29 and 5ft 8in is both older and shorter, confronted Anane during the face-off, pushing his head forward and trying to unsettle the young star.