Ilias Ennahachi, a Moroccan-Dutch kickboxer, has won nine world titles in major organizations like Enfusion, BLADE, and ONE Championship, where he became the Flyweight Kickboxing World Champion. Now competing in the bantamweight division, he aims to secure new titles and bring ONE Championship to Morocco. Ilias Ennahachi was born into a martial arts family. At the age of ten, he watched his father and uncle practicing karate, naturally sparking his interest in fighting. Raised in Utrecht, he was encouraged by his father to take up kickboxing. «My father was always a fighter—he practiced karate. As a child, I played football and did very well, but my father wanted me to try fighting», the former ONE Kickboxing Flyweight World Champion told Yabiladi. By the age of 12, Ilias had his first fight. «Now I'm 28, still fighting and training, and I love it», he proudly said. Like many Moroccans born or raised in the Netherlands, Ennahachi's family story is one of resilience. His grandfathers, from both sides, arrived in the Netherlands as temporary workers, seeking better opportunities. They were supposed to stay only for a few months but ended up settling in Utrecht and bringing their wives and children. «My grandfather came to the Netherlands for work and brought my father with him. The same happened on my mother's side—her father also brought her to the Netherlands», he recalled. This legacy of perseverance fuels Ennahachi's fighting spirit. Throughout his career, he has proudly represented Morocco. «I fight to make my parents proud, and that gives me extra motivation. That's why we are [Moroccan fighters] the best fighters in the world—we never give up», he said. A fighter with nine titles Ilias competed in the flyweight division, winning nine world titles with major combat sports organizations, including Enfusion, Japan Blade, VLF Netherlands, and ONE Championship. He claimed the Enfusion -60 kg title in 2016 by defeating Ali Zoubai and successfully defended it three times against Cristofer Opazos, Krobsut Fairtex, and Madani Belhaddad. He also won the BLADE 61 kg title by defeating Hikaru Machida and triumphed in the 2018 WFL 63 kg tournament, knocking out Cătălin Eduard in the semifinals and securing a decision win over Issam Laazibi in the finals. In 2019, he signed with ONE Championship and won the ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Championship by knocking out Petchdam Petchyindee Academy. He defended the title against Wang Wenfeng and Superlek Kiatmuu9, the latter ending in a controversial decision. A scheduled rematch with Superlek in 2023 did not take place, as Ennahachi vacated the title due to weight-cutting issues. A new adventure By 2024, the kickboxer decided it was time to move up to bantamweight, a weight class between flyweight and featherweight in boxing. He remained with ONE Championship, where he had spent six years. «I was the flyweight champion and defended my title three times, but making the weight became too difficult. That's why I moved up to bantamweight», he confessed. Ilias is determined to claim a title in this weight class. One of his other goals with ONE Championship is to bring the promotion to Morocco. «ONE Championship has a large audience in Asia and is now growing in Qatar. I also see that more people in Morocco are becoming aware of it», he explained. «I told them we need to do an event in Morocco», he revealed. «Moroccan fans have incredible energy, and I believe a ONE Championship event in Morocco would be huge. I told them the next event should be in Morocco». Ilias was scheduled to fight on February 20 at ONE Championship against Thai kickboxer Petchtanong Petchfergus. However, due to weight issues, the fight was canceled. Additionally, doctors advised him not to fight due to liver concerns, he told Yabiladi. Despite this setback, Ilias remains determined to succeed in the bantamweight category and secure new titles in the near future.
