“The first time I’d ever had doubts” - Nico Carrillo admits he felt uneasy in the build-up to interim title fight with Nabil Anane

Nico Carrillo admitted he "had doubts" about his fight against Nabil Anane during his brutal weight cut.

On Jan. 24, Carrillo suffered his lone ONE Championship defeat, a first-round knockout loss against Anane for the interim bantamweight Muay Thai world title.

Following the disappointing announcement, 'King of the North' revealed he endured the worst weight cut of his fighting career. As a result, the Scottish striker will permanently move up from bantamweight to featherweight.

During an interview with ONE, Carrillo opened up about his weight cut heading into ONE 170, saying:

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“During this weight cut, it was the first time I’d ever had doubts. Not in any previous fight had I ever doubted myself. But the cut was so bad. I felt how strenuous it was. I knew I could never do it again.”

Before fighting Anane, Carrillo climbed the ONE bantamweight Muay Thai division with knockout wins against Furkan Karabag, Muangthai, Nong-O, and Saemapetch.

Carrillo was initially supposed to fight Superlek for the undisputed world title before the champion pulled out due to an injury.

Since then, Anane fought Superlek in a non-title Muay Thai bout. Anane won by unanimous decision but remained the interim title-holder due to Superlek vacating the title because he missed weight and failed his hydration test.

Check out Nabil Anane's knockout win against Nico Carrillo below:

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Nico Carrillo plans to make statement in featherweight debut at ONE Fight Night 30

On Friday, April 4, Nico Carrillo will make his featherweight Muay Thai debut at ONE Fight Night 30. The Scottish striker is scheduled to be tested against the number four-ranked Sitthichai.

Sitthichai, a former 8x kickboxing, and Muay Thai world champion, is coming off consecutive unanimous decision losses in the division against Mohammad Siasarani and Shadow Singha Mawynn.

ONE Fight Night 30 will take place inside the legendary combat sports venue of Lumpinee Boxing Stadium. Friday's event in Thailand can be seen live and for free by North American and Canadian viewers with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.

The April 4 event features two world title fights - Roman Kryklia vs. Lyndon Knowles (heavyweight Muay Thai main event) and Regian Eersel vs. Alexis Nicolas 3 (lightweight kickboxing co-main event).

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