“I didn’t know this day would come this fast” - Nabil Anane reflects on golden opportunity to vie for interim Muay Thai crown

Nabil Anane always knew he was destined for gold. However, the 20-year-old admits he didn't expect the opportunity to come this early in his career.

Reigning ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world champion Superlek Kiatmoo9 suffered a knee injury in training, leaving the door open for a brave replacement at ONE 170.

The opportunity was too good to pass up for Anane, who fearlessly signed up to face Nico Carrillo for the interim bantamweight Muay Thai crown this coming Friday, Jan. 24, at Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.

After breaking into the 145-pound division's top 5 rankings, Nabil Anane knew he could one day find himself sharing the Circle with the No.2-ranked Nico Carrillo.

The Team Mehdi Zatout affiliate told ONE:

"We’ve fought on the same card before. I knew that soon we’d fight each other, but I didn’t know this day would come this fast, this soon.”

Nabil Anane's shot at 26 pounds of gold was definitely earned, not given.

The Algerian-Thai sensation used his promotional debut loss against Superlek as motivation to fulfill his seemingly endless potential.

Anane's growth showed in his next five outings, where he showcased vast improvement each time. Now, the towering prodigy's physical tools were complemented by his immense technical ability, which definitely makes him a superstar in the making.

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Nabil Anane says he's not intimidated by Nico Carrillo's KO prowess

Nabil Anane is quite aware of his underdog status against a killer like Nico Carrillo.

The Scottish mauler also left several bodies in his wake to secure his spot as the rightful challenger for the interim bantamweight Muay Thai world title.

So far, nobody has been able to make it to the final horn against Carrillo, who finished all four of his opponents in ONE.

Despite the dangers that 'King of The North' brings, Anane promises to trade blow-by-blow with the feared finisher. The fifth-ranked contender said in the same interview:

"If he wants to beat me, he must put me to sleep or something. If not, it’s going to be a war.”

ONE 170 will air live in Asian Primetime via watch.onefc.com.