“I’ve always wanted that” - Nico Carrillo still open to facing Jonathan Haggerty despite move to featherweight

Nico Carrillo hasn't lost hope for a potential matchup against Jonathan Haggerty.

Earlier this year, Carrillo suffered his first loss in ONE Championship, a first-round knockout against Nabil Anane for the interim bantamweight Muay Thai world title.

Following the defeat, Carrillo partially credited his disappointing performance to his drastic weight cut, which has become an unavoidable problem.

As a result, the Scottish striker announced he was permanently leaving the bantamweight division and moving up to featherweight.

There were several matchups for Carrillo at bantamweight that fans wanted to see, including ONE bantamweight kickboxing world champion Jonathan Haggerty.

During an interview with the South China Morning Post, Carrillo had this to say about potentially fighting Haggerty:

"I’ve always wanted that. There was never a time where I said no, I always said 'send the contract.' I’m still at that, but now it’s just a different kind of scenario where I won’t cut the weight anymore."

Nico Carrillo started his ONE Championship tenure with three knockout wins in 2023 against Furkan Karabag, Muangthai, and Nong-O.

'King of the North' continued his success in 2024, defeating Saemapetch Fairtex by second-round knockout to secure a title shot.

Carrillo was scheduled to fight Superlek for the undisputed bantamweight Muay Thai throne before the latter pulled out due to an injury. Nabil Anane stepped in to fight the Scottish striker for the interim strap.

Watch Carrillo's entire interview with the South China Morning Post below:

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Nico Carrillo tied to rumors for fight against Sitthichai

Nico Carrillo is expected to be an immediate contender in the ONE featherweight Muay Thai division due to his bantamweight success.

Although it's unconfirmed by ONE, Carrillo has been involved in rumors of a potential fight against number four-ranked Sitthichai.

Sitthichai is coming off consecutive losses in Muay Thai against Mohammad Siasarani and Shadow Singha Mawynn.

Meanwhile, the Thai striker is riding momentum due to a unanimous decision kickboxing win against Masaaki Noiri in his last fight.

With a win against Sitthichai, Carrillo would quickly validate his world championship aspirations at featherweight.

The ONE featherweight Muay Thai division is run by 5x world champion Tawanchai, who most recently defeated Superbon and Jo Nattawut.