You might not have heard of Nabil Anane yet, but his name is one that Muay Thai fans across the globe should become familiar with.
The 19-year-old is preparing for the biggest test of his burgeoning career at ONE Lumpinee 22, where he faces ONE flyweight kickboxing world champion Superlek Kiatmoo9 in a flyweight Muay Thai battle.
Before Anane locks horns with the Thai superstar at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok on Friday, find out about the Thai-Algerian Muay Thai prodigy who could take the world by storm.
Although he's of Algerian descent, Anane was born and raised in Thailand.
He was introduced to martial arts through karate, which he started alongside his father as a gift for his sixth birthday.
The young martial artist also showed an interest in the Korean art of taekwondo, and he juggled both styles until age 11.
After earning black belts in both disciplines, Anane's father encouraged the talented young athlete to try his hand at the national sport of their homeland -- Muay Thai.
Anane was instantly hooked.
Although his foray into "the art of eight limbs" started out as just a hobby, time went by and his confidence grew, and so did his desire to test his mettle in competition.
Anane's talent was soon evident, and he began to idolise the top Thai fighters on the famous Bangkok circuit.
Before long, Anane would find himself competing in the Thai capital, where the rangy youngster showed maturity beyond his years to score victories over vastly experienced stars such as Chorfah Tor Sangtiennoi, Thongnoi Lukbanyai, and Samingdet Nor Anuwatgym.
Despite being just 19 years old, the Team Mehdi Zatout representative has amassed an impressive record of 33-4-1 and held the WBC Muay Thai world championship twice.
A staggeringly tall flyweight at 188cm, Anane will look to use his height and devastating knees to disrupt the elite muay femur style of Superlek.
Beyond that, the recent high school graduate aspires to follow in the footsteps of stablemates Alaverdi Ramazanov and Mehdi Zatout, making his mark on the global stage with ONE Championship.
ONE Lumpinee 22 is headlined by the much-anticipated ONE heavyweight world title unification grudge match between divisional king Arjan Bhullar and interim champion Anatoly Malykhin.
The first bout starts at 7.30pm at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium on Friday and Channel 7 shows live the programme from 8.30pm.
