"I just thought of gold" - Nico Carrillo says he would have fought anyone brave enough to be Superlek's replacement

ONE 170 on Friday, Jan. 24, was supposed to be Nico Carrillo's opportunity to challenge two-sport ONE world champion Superlek Kiatmoo9 for the bantamweight Muay Thai crown. However, circumstances out of his control derailed the moment.

In an interview with combat sports journalist Nick Atkin, 'King of the North' doubled down on his desire to fight on the card regardless of the change in assignment. He said:

"So, when Superlek pulled out, one of the first things I did think was that it needed to be an interim belt. Honestly, I didn't even, I didn't actually think of an opponent. I just thought of gold."

Watch the entire interview here:

Due to the knee injury that 'The Kicking Machine' sustained in December, the world's largest martial arts promotion activated the interim bantamweight Muay Thai world championship, which Carrillo will now fight for inside the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.

His opponent will be fifth-ranked 145-pound Muay Thai competitor Nabil Anane, who will also look to win his first ONE world championship.

ONE 170 is available via watch.onefc.com.

---

Nico Carrillo admits feeling dejected after Superlek's withdrawal

Losing out on his opportunity to challenge Superlek, who also holds the flyweight kickboxing crown, for the bantamweight Muay Thai world championship understandably devastated Nico Carrillo.

The Deachkalek Muay Thai Academy affiliate said as much in a report shared by Sports Illustrated:

"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, and friends had all booked flights for this undisputed fight, it was a kick in the nuts."