“Beyond my expectations” - Superlek admits he was left stunned by Nabil Anane’s destruction of Nico Carrillo

ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world champion Superlek Kiatmoo9 admits it was Nico Carrillo he was expecting to face in a unification bout this month and that the Scottish fighter's loss to Nabil Anane was something he did not expect.

'The King of the North' vied for the interim bantamweight world title against Anane back in January as 'The Kicking Machine' was out injured. Carrillo was the favorite to win the contest but got the surprise of his life after he was dropped to the canvas by his Algerian-Thai phenom opponent three times in the opening round for the TKO defeat.

In an interview with ONE Championship, Superlek shared his thoughts on what went down at the Carrillo-Anane clash, saying:

"I give Nabil a 9/10. Nabil fought to his standard, but I think Nico was too careless. He didn't defend himself much. It wasn't right to leave your defense open wide like this because Nabil has very long limbs. The result of the match was beyond my expectations because I didn't expect it to end so quickly. "

The defeat was the first for Carrillo in five matches in ONE Championship. It also prompted him to move up to featherweight, saying it suits him better at this stage of his career.

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Superlek now focused on Nabil Anane in unification bout

While he initially expected Nico Carrillo as his opponent in his next match, Superlek Kiatmoo9 has since recalibrated his game plan and is ready to battle Nabil Anane.

The ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world champion is to face off with the interim champion at ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang on March 23 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

It is a rematch of the first encounter between the two in June 2023, where Superlek knocked out then ONE-debuting Anane in the first round.

'The Kicking Machine' spoke about his upcoming rematch in a press conference for ONE 172, highlighting he is expecting an intense battle when he runs it back with 6-foot-4 Anane.

He said:

"For me, Nabil is one of the toughest fighters in the bantamweight division. He is a tall fighter, and he has fast development. Nothing much to say now, see you on the fight day."

Superlek-Anane II is one of five world title fights on offer at ONE 172, which marks the return of ONE Championship to Japan for the second straight year and is available live on pay-per-view via watch.onefc.com.