Nico Carrillo says Hiroki Akimoto is the rightful challenger for Jonathan Haggerty's kickboxing crown: "He's number one"

Nico Carrillo believes Hiroki Akimoto should be next to challenge two-sport king Jonathan Haggerty for his ONE bantamweight kickboxing world title.

At ONE Fight Night 16, Haggerty made history by securing the vacant ONE bantamweight kickboxing throne to claim two-sport supremacy. Four months later, 'The General' continued building momentum by knocking out Felipe Lobo to defend his bantamweight world title for the first time.

The question is, what's next for Haggerty? Although nothing has been confirmed, the UK superstar could defend his kickboxing throne for the first time against number one bantamweight contender Hiroki Akimoto.

During an interview with the South China Morning Post, ONE bantamweight Muay Thai contender Nico Carrillo, who's kept a close eye on Haggerty, had this to say about what should be next for 'The General':

"Akimoto, the Japanese fighter. He deserves a shot at the kickboxing title because he's number one, he's been waiting for it, so somebody else shouldn't jump in front of him to fight for the kickboxing title." [1:30 onwards]

Akimoto is a former bantamweight kickboxing world champion looking to regain ONE gold. The 31-year-old last fought in November 2022, suffering a split decision loss against Petchtanong to end his five-fight winning streak.

Watch Carrillo's interview with SCMP below:

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What's next for Nico Carrillo?

Nico Carrillo made his ONE Championship debut in April 2023, winning his first two fights against Furkan Karabag and Muangthai PK by knockout. In Dec. 2023, Carrillo's latest fight was a massive statement, as he knocked out former ONE bantamweight Muay Thai king Nong-O Hama.

Carrillo has called for his next fight to be a world title shot against Jonathan Haggerty. With that said, 'King of the North' might need to face another top contender while Haggerty potentially defends his kickboxing throne against Hiroki Akimoto.

It should be noted that Carrillo is the number one ranked bantamweight Muay Thai fighter.

Watch Carrillo defeating Nong-O below: