Superlek Weighed In Heavy, Narrowly Escaped First-Round Knockdown Before Losing Decision to Abdulla Dayakayev
Superlek lost a decision to Russian striker Abdulla Dayakayev at ONE's Inner Circle event Friday despite a strong final round, after nearly being knocked down in the opening seconds at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium.
ONE's The Inner Circle event on Friday, May 15th at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium (Ramintra) was held with all 26 fighters successfully passing weigh-ins and hydration tests before competing at their agreed weight classes.
The featured matchup marked Superlek's return to competition. The 30-year-old ONE kickboxing world champion from Buriram faced 24-year-old Russian striking specialist Abdulla Dayakayev under Muay Thai rules in the bantamweight division (135-145 lbs). Dayakayev came in overweight but paid the agreed compensation to Superlek, and the fight proceeded as scheduled.
Dayakayev came out aggressively in the opening round, landing a powerful right hand that sent Superlek down for an eight-count immediately. Superlek mounted a comeback attempt, particularly in the final round, where he dominated the striking exchanges. However, Dayakayev's early dominance proved decisive on the judges' scorecards, with Superlek narrowly losing the decision despite his strong finish.
