Elias Mahmoudi won’t be able to compete against Superlek Kiatmoo 9 at ONE Fight Night 18 after hurting his ribs in training.
The two were set to headline the event in Bangkok on January 13, with Superlek defending his ONE Championship flyweight kickboxing title against Mahmoudi at Lumphini Stadium.
Organizers are now searching for a replacement, but with less than three weeks until the show, finding someone ready to face the champion may be challenging.
Super Rec is on a 10-game winning streak and has defeated some of the best players in the sport, competing in both Muay Thai and kickboxing.
Mahmoudi previously challenged Petchdam Petch Indy Gym for the kickboxing flyweight title in 2019 but was unable to continue due to a low blow, resulting in the match going to the scorecards, with the Thai ultimately winning.
ONE Fight Night 18 needs a new main event, with three matches confirmed for the card, including a matchup between Kwon Won-il and Sinechagtoga Zoltsetseg in the bantamweight division.
Kwon (13-4) had his title chances hindered by a stoppage loss to current bantamweight MMA champion Fabricio Andrade but has bounced back with two straight round stoppage wins and is currently ranked No. 4 in his division.
Zoltseteg (7-4) isn’t in the top five yet, but he has been putting up some hard-fought battles, winning five of his last six meetings, all within range.
In another bantamweight MMA match, Enku-Orgil Batarfu (10-2) will face Artem Belak, with Batarfu aiming for his 10th straight win after a recent victory over previously undefeated Janlo Sanjao.
Belaf (10-3) suffered a defeat at the hands of Kwon Won-il in his most recent match, ending his winning streak at three.
Another fight on the card is at featherweight, where Shamil Gasanov, ranked 4th in the rankings, will fight Oh Tek as he looks to bounce back from the first loss of his career.
Gasanov (13-1) called out Gary Tonon earlier this year but suffered a defeat when submitted by the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt. Tek (9-3-1) is also coming off a loss, being stopped by Akbar Abdullaev in his last fight.
ONE Fight Night 18 will mark the promotion’s first event of 2024, with first quarter fixtures already decided for Tokyo, Singapore, and Qatar.
