"It was always whoever has it" - Nico Carrillo brushes off rivalry with Jonathan Haggerty as he chases ONE gold

Scottish Muay Thai star Nico Carrillo is putting aside his long-standing rivalry with former ONE bantamweight Muay Thai and reigning bantamweight kickboxing world champion Jonathan Haggerty in pursuit of 26 pounds of ONE Championship gold.

During an interview with the Leather'd Podcast, Carrillo said:

"No. Right now, not. I said this way before when Superlek jumped the queue, it was never about I want to fight Haggerty, I want to fight Haggerty. I know everybody wants to see that fight but it was never about that for me - it was the ONE gold."

Carrillo continued:

"And it was always whoever has it [the ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world title] is where my full attention is on."

Carrillo produced finishes in all four fights since his April 2023 promotional debut. He had since been pursuing to challenge Haggerty for the 145-pound Muay Thai crown.

However, 'The General' was dethroned by ONE flyweight kickboxing king Superlek Kiatmoo9 in just 49 seconds at ONE 168: Denver this past September inside the Ball Arena, which led to Carrillo's latest statement.

Carrillo will now challenge 'The Kicking Machine' for the ONE bantamweight Muay Thai crown at ONE 170 on Jan. 24, 2025, inside the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.

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Superlek excited to see what makes Nico Carrillo so special at ONE 170

Superlek wants to see whether Nico Carrillo is the real deal when they clash at ONE 170. The Thai hero recently told the South China Morning Post:

"He is said to be the best in the division and I'm very excited to face him. I haven't got a game plan yet, but it will be a great fight."

Superlek will look to kickstart his reign over the ONE bantamweight Muay Thai division with a definitive performance against Carrillo and hand him his first loss in ONE.