Superbon has accused Abdulla Dayakaev of lacking professionalism after the Russian missed weight before his controversial split decision win over Superlek Kiatmoo9 at The Inner Circle.
Dayakaev knocked Superlek down inside the opening minute of their bantamweight Muay Thai clash at Lumpinee Stadium on Friday night, then survived a furious late comeback from the Thai star to take the judges’ decision.
But the result came after Dayakaev weighed in at 148.2lbs – 3.2lbs over the bantamweight limit – while Superlek came in 5lbs lighter at 143.2lbs and accepted the catchweight bout.
Superbon, speaking to Thai media the day after the bout at ONE Fight Night 43 where he cornered teammate Petchtanong, said the weight miss had given Dayakaev an unfair physical advantage.
“Personally, I think it’s unprofessional,” Superbon said. “There is no professionalism as a professional athlete.
“At this level, this kind of thing shouldn’t happen. It should be fair. You should do everything like a man. We are in a man’s sport, but if you don’t behave like a man, I think it’s very unprofessional.
“If you feel you can’t fight at that weight, then move up. It’s not difficult. There are choices in fighting.
Superlek looks on as Abdulla Dayakaev celebrates his split decision win at The Inner Circle
“If you are always looking to take advantage of other people, I don’t think it’s fair. Go and play another sport. That’s my personal opinion.”
Dayakaev did not take long to respond.
After hearing Superbon’s comments, the Russian posted an Instagram story referencing Superbon’s withdrawal from his scheduled May 22 title defence against Liu Mengyang through injury.
“Some non-men are trying to explain to me how a real man should behave,” Dayakaev wrote.
“A man [who] withdrew from the fight a couple of days ago, yesterday he was riding around the stadium like a horse, and tries to say something about men.”
Dayakaev later struck a more measured tone in a separate Instagram post on Monday, accepting responsibility for the weight miss but insisting he had not given up on the cut.
“Yes, I didn’t make weight. That’s my responsibility,” he wrote. “But before you discount my work, know the facts.
Superbon celebrates with Petchtanong after cornering his teammate in a victory at ONE Fight Night 43
“From 7am to 2pm, I did everything I could to make weight. By 11am, my body was completely depleted and the weight stopped coming off, but I kept working until the end.
“Huge respect to Superlek and his team. He took the fight like a true champion, and I respect that.”
Dayakaev said criticism of his weight miss was fair, but pushed back against the idea that it should erase his performance.
“You can discuss weight – it’s part of the sport,” he wrote. “But don’t act like one fact negates months of training, all the preparation, the work in the ring, and a hard-earned result.
“Many in this sport have gone through tough cuts. I know I did everything I could. I know I gave it all I had in the fight.”
Dayakaev told the Bangkok Post after the fight that he had received vile abuse from fans on social media after missing weight, and said his father had called him to lift his spirits before the bout.
Superlek, for his part, has not publicly criticised Dayakaev and accepted the fight despite the weight difference.
Superlek was badly hurt by Dayakaev’s overhand shot in the opening round, later admitting he could not remember anything after the first three minutes, but stormed back to take the second and third rounds.
Abdulla Dayakaev insists he did _everything_ to make weight for his ONE Championship clash with Superlek
Superbon said the knockdown was decisive under ONE’s three-round scoring format, even if he felt Superlek finished the stronger of the two fighters.
“If we speak according to the actual scoring rules, he couldn’t win,” Superbon said. “He couldn’t win unless Superlek got a knockdown back.
“It’s three rounds. If it was a five-round fight, he would have come back and won. But because it was three rounds, once the score is 10-8, in the next two rounds Superlek would need a 10-8 back.
“Normally, he’s only going to get 10-9. So there was no way it could happen the way everyone thought.”
Superbon said he sympathised with frustrated Thai fans, but accepted that the judges had to work within the rules.
“I think the same as everyone else, but under the rules, it can’t happen,” he said. “We have to understand the rules. Superlek couldn’t win.
“Yes, his opponent may not have wanted to do anything after that, but if there had been even one more round – not even a round, just another 30 seconds – Superlek would have knocked him out.
“But in the end, this is sport. It has to be under the rules. We have to accept it and support him for his next fight.”
Superlek and Abdulla Dayakaev show each other respect at The Inner Circle
The backlash against Dayakaev has been fierce among Thai fans, though the wider debate over missed weight in ONE Championship has rarely been straightforward.
Superlek himself has missed weight several times in recent years, losing his bantamweight Muay Thai belt on the scales last year and coming in five pounds heavy for his flyweight title fight with Rodtang Jitmuangnon in 2023.
Thai fighter Nontachai Jitmuangnon also missed weight for his fight with Felipe Lobo last weekend without receiving the same level of criticism.
Superbon’s teammate Nong-O Hama also missed weight last November for his scheduled title fight with Rodtang, after moving down from his long-time home at bantamweight. Nong-O later made weight in March for another shot at the vacant flyweight belt, only to be knocked out by Dayakaev’s teammate Asadula Imangazaliev, who had missed weight and was therefore ineligible to win the title.
But Superbon said fighters at the elite level had a responsibility to make weight or move divisions.
“The sport we play is a man’s sport,” he said. “If you don’t have professionalism, if you don’t have fairness, if you don’t act like a man, then go and do something else.
“Don’t come and fight.”
