Jonathan Haggerty praises young star Nabil Anane for insane TKO of Nico Carrillo: “A very great performance”

Jonathan Haggerty may be focused on his own upcoming battle, but that hasn't stopped him from keeping a close eye on the action unfolding around him.

One athlete who recently caught the British superstar’s attention is Nabil Anane, who captured the ONE interim bantamweight Muay Thai world championship against Nico Carrillo at ONE 170 this past January.

In an interview with Inside Fighting, 'The General' was in awe of Anane’s commanding performance, which secured him a world title unification contest against lineal king Superlek Kiatmoo9 next month.

Jonathan Haggerty said:

“It was a great performance from Nabil. A very great performance. I was impressed, very impressed. He was in control — you could see it from the start.”

The towering Thai-Algerian fighter made full use of his height and reach advantage, keeping Nico Carrillo at bay before dropping the Scottish slugger three times in the opening round.

Anane’s first knockdown came from a crisp straight right, followed by a head kick that left Carrillo dazed. Sensing the finish, he unleashed a relentless combination, sending 'King of the North' to the canvas for a third time to seal the emphatic stoppage.

Inspired by Anane’s statement win, Jonathan Haggerty hopes to replicate that kind of dominance when he defends his ONE bantamweight kickboxing world title against Chinese challenger Wei Rui at ONE 171 at the Lusail Sports Arena in Qatar on Thursday, Feb. 20.

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Nabil Anane battles Jonathan Haggerty's tormentor Superlek at ONE 172

Meanwhile, Nabil Anane has little time to celebrate his triumph. He is set to return to action at ONE 172 on March 23 at the iconic Saitama Super Arena in Japan.

There, the 6-foot-4 prodigy will meet Superlek Kiatmoo9 in a high-stakes clash to determine the undisputed ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world champion.

The bout serves as a rematch of their June 2023 encounter, where Anane succumbed to a first-round stoppage against the Thai powerhouse.

This time, the young phenom is determined to flip the script and dethrone Superlek to claim sole ownership of the division’s top spot.