Nico Carrillo says he let Jonathan Haggerty’s criticism slide since he was locked in on Nabil Anane: “Hard to focus on anybody else”

Nico Carrillo responded to Jonathan Haggerty's accusations that he wasn't fully focused on fighting Nabil Anane.

Over the past year, Carrillo seemed destined to fight Haggerty for the ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world title. Things drastically changed when Superlek dethroned Haggerty to become the division's new champion.

Carrillo later fought Nabil Anane on Jan. 24 for the interim bantamweight title, with the latter winning by first-round knockout.

Haggerty has since claimed in an interview that Carrillo was focused on their rivalry instead of Anane. The Scottish striker recently responded by saying this during an interview with Nick Atkin:

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"I mean, it’s hard to be forcused on anything else when somebody’s swaggering about in a sauna. You’re in a tight space, do you know what I mean? It’s hard to focus on anybody else, it’s only us in the sauna. So that’s all I’ve got to say about that."

Carrillo credited his disappointing performance against Nabil Anane to the worst weight cut of his fighting career. As a result, 'King of the North' has officially announced he's moving up from bantamweight to featherweight.

Check out Nico Carrillo's entire interview with Nick Atkin below:

Nico Carrillo looks to enter featherweight title picture with win at ONE Fight Night 30

On April 4, Nico Carrillo will make his featherweight Muay Thai debut against the number four-ranked Sitthichai at ONE Fight Night 30.

Sitthichai is a former 8x kickboxing and Muay Thai world champion who is well-respected in the division. He also holds a win against the reigning featherweight king, Tawanchai.

With a win against Sitthichai, Carrillo would insert himself into the featherweight title picture and extend his promotional record to 5-1.

ONE Fight Night 30 goes down inside the iconic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. Friday's event can be seen live and for free by North American and Canadian viewers with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.

Following Sitthichai vs. Carrillo, two world title fights will be featured at ONE Fight Night 30 - Roman Kryklia vs. Lyndon Knowles (heavyweight Muay Thai main event) and Regian Eersel vs. Alexis Nicolas 3 (lightweight kickboxing co-main event).

Check out the entire ONE Fight Night 30 bout card below:

About the author

Jake Foley is a journalist at Sportskeeda, specializing in covering all forms of combat sports, including MMA, Boxing, Kickboxing, and Muay Thai. His passion is ignited by the exceptional fusion of physical and mental skills demanded by world-class fighters in these sports. Jake is captivated by the intricate mix of fierce determination and a modest mindset exhibited by athletes in these disciplines. He also finds the atmosphere of major championships, like the epic clash between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor, truly unparalleled.

Jake has earned his UFC credentials to cover the major events for Sportskeeda and has conducted several interviews.

Jake supports various teams across several professional sports, including the Las Vegas Raiders, Inter Miami, Norwich City, Miami Marlins, and Las Vegas Golden Knights. The sports moment Jake will never forget is Jon Jones dismantling Vladimir Matyushenko.

Since joining the SportsKeeda team, Jake has written 400 articles covering several MMA promotions, including the UFC and ONE Championship. He continues to work hard to maintain his journalistic integrity and tell the stories of fighters worldwide.

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Edited by Jigyanshushri Mahanta