Striker to Defend ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Title at The Inner Circle

ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Champion Superbon has his next challenge.

The 35-year-old Thai superstar will defend his crown against Chinese striker Liu Mengyang at The Inner Circle on Friday, May 22, live in Asia primetime from Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. The show streams exclusively on live.onefc.com.

Superbon is the defining champion of the most stacked division in combat sports. His journey through the featherweight kickboxing landscape has included wins over some of the finest strikers the sport has produced, along with the kind of setbacks and comebacks that define legendary careers.

Two of the most spectacular competitors in ONE Championship’s featherweight division will share the ring on May 22, and the result promises to be one of the most talked-about kickboxing title fights of the year.

Superbon Built Legacy by Shocking the World

Superbon’s rise to the ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Title reads like a blueprint for striking greatness. After a strong debut win in 2020, he stunned the world by knocking out widely regarded GOAT Giorgio Petrosyan with a crushing head kick to claim the inaugural crown.

After defending his gold with a dominant win over Marat Grigorian, Superbon suffered a setback in 2023. However, he roared back with a head-kick KO of Tayfun Ozcan, reclaimed gold by beating Grigorian again for the interim title, and then he was elevated to undisputed champion in January 2025. His reign was cemented when he beat new interim king, Masaaki Noiri, to unify the title last November.

His 117-37 career striking mark reflect a champion who has navigated every kind of challenge the featherweight division has produced and emerged with the kickboxing belt firmly around his waist.

Liu Earned Title Shot vs. Superbon with Stunning Finish

Liu’s ONE journey has been nothing short of remarkable, bursting onto the scene with a late-notice win over Noiri, suffering a narrow loss to Mohammad Siasarani, and then bouncing back in style by outclassing Shadow Mavinn to secure his second promotional victory.

His most iconic moment, however, arrived in December 2025, when he defeated ONE Featherweight Muay Thai World Champion Tawanchai PK Saenchai with a single leg kick in just 52 seconds. The result earned Liu his title shot and sent an unmistakable message to the rest of the division about the kind of finishing power a 23-year-old from China carries into every fight.

Liu carries a 35-7 career record and a 3-1 ONE mark into the title fight, numbers that reflect a fighter who has competed extensively and developed into one of the sport’s most dangerous young strikers. The combination of world-class striking technique and one-shot finishing ability that he demonstrated against Tawanchai makes him a genuine threat to any champion in the featherweight kickboxing division, including Superbon, who stopped the man widely considered the greatest to ever compete in the sport.

Superbon’s Head Kicks Against Liu’s Leg Kicks Sets Up Fascinating Clash

Superbon’s legendary head kicks have been the defining weapon of his entire title run, producing knockouts over Petrosyan and Ozcan that rank among the most celebrated finishes in ONE Championship history.

Liu’s rise to the title shot has been built on a completely different kind of power, with his leg kick that broke Tawanchai’s leg, demonstrating that he can end a fight with a single low kick as quickly as any head kick specialist can from above.

The Lumpinee Stadium crowd on May 22 will witness a Thai champion defending home soil against a Chinese challenger who has already proven he can produce the kind of single-strike finish that renders experience and reputation irrelevant in an instant.

Watch The Inner Circle live on Friday, May 22, exclusively at live.onefc.com.