MMA Knockout

(Exclusive) Nico Carrillo Targets "Vicious Knockout" in Interim Title Bout at ONE 170

"King of the North" fights for Muay Thai gold at ONE 170 in Bangkok.

Drew Beaupre

(ONE Championship)

Scheduled for the biggest fight of his career at ONE 170 on January 24, Nico Carrillo spoke with MMA KO’s Drew Beaupré about fighting for ONE Championship gold on a huge stage against Nabil Anane.

Superlek Injury & Interim Title Fight

Carrillo was originally booked to challenge ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai Champion Superlek at ONE 170, but after the Thai star suffered a knee injury “King of the North” signed on for an interim title bout against Anane at the same event.

“It was a kick in the nuts, I was devastated to say the least. Obviously, I’d already been training for eight weeks really hard prior to [the injury], but the fact that I’d literally just landed in Thailand, flew my full team out, family were here, family members, friends had all booked flights for this undisputed fight, it was a kick in the nuts. Obviously, thanks to ONE for getting another fight sorted, which was the most deserving thing obviously. The champion’s out, I’m the contender, the only right thing to do is to make an interim fight. So they’ve done an amazing job of doing that. With that being said, nonetheless, it was a very stressful day up until actually getting the news that I was still fighting. So yeah, very deflating until that. But I was super happy to get the replacement.”

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Anane is currently on a five-fight win streak after suffering a loss to Superlek in his ONE Championship debut in 2023, and while Carrillo is confident that he’ll get his hand raised in Bangkok he admits that the 20-year-old isn’t the easiest opponent to prepare for on short notice.

“I was already ready to fight, obviously tweaks to the game plan, but I can’t lie that finding people his kind of body size and height hasn’t been so easy. The game plan has been going really well, but obviously – yeah, if we had more time to prepare then everything would have went a bit more swiftly. But that’s the fight game, and these things happen. They throw s*** at you sometimes and you roll with the punches. So yeah, that’s just the fight game. Nonetheless, I’m very happy now that I am still fighting for gold, so the vision in my head is still clear. I’m still gonna get 24 karats of gold on my shoulder on January 24th. And then I mean, it sets up another fight – which, I was only gonna fight once before my wedding anyway, so now I’m getting two fights before my wedding. You see the positive in these things.”

Fighting With ONE Championship & ONE 172

The interim title bout at ONE 170 will be Carrillo’s fifth fight in ONE Championship, and even though he’s been on a steady upward trajectory since his debut in 2023 the 26-year-old isn’t about to let himself get distracted by the prospect of a title unification bout with Superlek at ONE 172 at Saitama Super Arena.

“Everything has been really smooth. Got the fights, got – obviously, when I first signed I fought at the higher weight, knocked the boy out, and then they gave me a really high-ranked Thai in my next fight. Knocked him out in devastating fashion, that got me the contract, the next fight I fought the number one who was champion for eight years in Nong-O. Knocked him out, and then obviously got a hand surgery after that. So I was meant to fight for the title right away then, but obviously with me getting surgery and stuff that kind of messed that up. And then I defended my number one spot against Saemapetch. And now we’re here fighting for the title. Like I said, in my first fight I was coming for gold, so yeah – I’m excited to fulfill my destiny, and a longtime dream.”

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“[The title unification fight is] not on my mind at all. I am an all eggs in one basket kind of guy, and my full focus is on Nabil. Honestly, I’ve not even thought about anything else at all. I’m getting married this year, I’ve not even thought about it. I’ve got some much things to do for my wedding, I’ve not even thought about any of it. I’ll probably be stressed out when that day comes to sort that stuff out, but I’m just so focused on this fight. And then when I win this, I’m sure my attention will quickly shift to the Tokyo and Superlek thing. But right now, it’s not where I’m at. Right now I’m completely focused on Nabil. Obviously regarding the whole Tokyo [event], and it’s the biggest card, for me it would just be the next biggest thing. ‘Cause me fighting in Impact Arena is the biggest stadium. So then to go to that would just be the next biggest thing again. That’s just the way my career seems to be going. It’s like, everything’s newer. Every fight is newer. 'Cause every fight is the next biggest thing in my life.”

Crossover Fights & Prediction For ONE 170

Laser-focused on the task at hand on January 24, Carrillo did say he’d be open to taking advantage of ONE Championship’s opportunities for crossover fights if the option were presented to him – but only after scoring another highlight-reel knockout at ONE 170.

“If I got offered [crossover fights], let them come in with offers. I’m not focused on it. My focus is gold, and being the champion at my weight. That is all my focus is on right now. When that comes, we can chat about other things. Until then, I can’t speak about anything else.”

“[Fans] can expect a vicious knockout [at ONE 170]. I put my neck out there on the line, and I say that every time, but I’ve not been wrong yet. And I don’t intend on being wrong this time.”

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ONE 170 takes place at Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand on January 24, and Carrillo vs. Anane is one of three title bouts on a stacked card that also includes rematches between ONE Bantamweight MMA Champion Fabricio Andrade and Kwon Won Il in the co-main event as well as ONE Featherweight Muay Thai Champion Tawanchai vs. Superbon in the headlining slot.

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Drew Beaupre
DREW BEAUPRE

Drew is an MMA writer that regularly watches regional events in addition to major promotions such as the UFC, PFL, Bellator, and ONE Championship. He joined MMA Knockout when it was founded in 2023.

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