“Didn’t even see it” - Nabil Anane’s furious head kick left Nico Carrillo utterly stunned in their interim world title clash

When Nabil Anane seized the ONE interim bantamweight Muay Thai world championship, few anticipated the sheer dominance of his performance — least of all, his opponent, Nico Carrillo.

That stunning victory transpired this past January at ONE 170, happening before a sold-out crowd at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.

Watch the highlights of that matchup below:

Heading into the encounter, Carrillo carried an imposing 15-fight winning streak and was widely expected to extend his impressive run against an underdog and a short-notice opponent such as Anane.

However, Anane proved that he was not someone's footstool. Standing at 6-foot-4, he masterfully used his height and reach to pick his Scottish opponent apart.

Having a full read on the distance between him and his foe, the Thai-Algerian phenom hammered a crisp right hand that sent Carrillo crashing to the canvas for the first official knockdown of the bout.

Though Carrillo managed to get back to his feet and beat the count, it didn't take long before Anane floored him again — this time, with a hard head kick.

Dazed but determined, 'King of the North' found a way to stand back up. However, Anane pushed for offense, peppering the Scotsman with combinations that were punctuated by a crushing right hand to force the referee to call a halt to the contest at 2:35 of the opening round.

Back in the dugout, Carrillo admitted to Anane that he never anticipated the beginning of the match's end:

"I didn't even see it coming. The head kick, didn't see it coming."

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Nabil Anane looks to shock the world again at ONE 172

At ONE 172 on March 23, Nabil Anane aims to replicate his astonishing performance when he runs its back with Superlek Kiatmoo9.

Both men are penciled to face each other in a ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world title unification encounter, which takes place at the Saitama Super Arena in Japan.

ONE 172 will air live worldwide via pay-per-view on watch.onefc.com.