“I don’t feel like he can recover” – Nico Carrillo says now is the ‘best time’ to fight Nong-O after Thai’s stunning loss to Haggerty

At ONE Friday Fights 46, Nico Carrillo will compete in the biggest contest of his career and he’s absolutely thrilled to be part of the promotion’s stacked year-end event.

The “King of the North” has impressed in his previous appearances under the ONE banner but this is where the real test comes. On December 22, he will take on the former dominant bantamweight Muay Thai world champion Nong-O Hama in his return fight inside the revered Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

The former champion was defeated by Jonathan Haggerty at ONE Fight Night 9 and is now looking to work his way back to the top of the division.

In an interview with ONE Championship, Nico Carrillo revealed that he didn’t see this fight coming next but didn’t think twice about signing on the dotted line once it was offered to him:

“I was obviously absolutely buzzing when they came to me with Nong-O, I thought they would maybe give me Saemapetch or Lobo first. That fight then maybe another fight before the title fight, but I obviously jumped at the opportunity to fight Nong-O.”

Carrillo added that he believes this is the perfect timing for him to be taking on the former champion after he lost his belt earlier this year:

“Especially after him coming off such a bad knockout at his age, I just don’t feel like he can recover from that so well, so it’s probably the best time to fight him, then it’s off to be champion next year.”

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Nico Carrillo faces the ultimate test to prove he’s a title challenger

For a competitor like Nico Carrillo, it simply doesn’t get much bigger than going head-to-head with a living legend like Nong-O. Beating the former champion is as good of an accomplishment as anything he could look to achieve in his career outside of claiming a world championship.

Carrillo's opponent will be hungry to turn back the rising contender and make a case for him being deserving of a rematch and that makes him a dangerous opponent. Beating Nong-O proves once and for all that Carrillo has what it takes to become a world champion.

Check your local listings or visit ONE Championship's official website on how to watch ONE Friday Fights 46 from your location. Fans in the United States and Canada can catch ONE Friday Fights 46: Tawanchai vs. Superbon via pay-per-view on watch.onefc.com on December 22.