Nico Carrillo is opening about his brutal loss against Nabil Anane at ONE 170.
Going into the bout, 'The King of the North' was heavily favored to leave Impact Arena in Bangkok with the interim ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world title against the 6'4" Algerian-Thai sensation. Unfortunately for Carrillo, it wasn't meant to be.
It only took Anane two and a half minutes to score three knockdowns against the Scottish brawler, bringing an end to their interim title tilt.
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Following the loss, Nico Carrillo took to Instagram to open up about his first defeat under the ONE banner, revealing that an especially brutal weight cut left him feeling like he was in no condition to fight.
"It took a massive toll on my body trying to make that weight and eventually when I did make that weight, it destroyed my body. My legs were heavy, my lungs was sore, and my brain was foggy. And obviously it’s no surprise that I’m big for my weight."
He added:
"But before, the cuts were ok. This one in particular it’s like my body wasn’t loving it anymore and it ended up the most weight that I’d cut."
Nabil Anane earns title unification clash with Superlek after dispatching Nico Carrillo
With the loss, Nico Carrillo drops to 4-1 in ONE Championship, 27-4-1 overall.
Meanwhile, Nabil Anane improved his record to 6-1, including six straight wins after coming up short in his promotional debut against reigning two-sport king Superlek Kiatmoo9. With his win over 'The King of the North' at ONE 170, Anane will have the chance to even the series against Superlek, the undisputed ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world titleholder, when the two meet later this year to unify their respective titles.
When and where that fight takes place remains to be announced, but ONE CEO Chatri Sityodtong teased that we could see the highly anticipated sequel scrap as early as March 23 when the promotion heads back to Japan for a loaded ONE 172 card.
Are you excited to see Anane and Superlek run it back on martial arts' biggest global stage?
If you missed any of the action, you can watch the full ONE 170: Tawanchai vs. Superbon II replay on demand via watch.onefc.com.