"The vision in my head is still clear" - Nico Carrillo focused on the goal despite change of opponent at ONE 170

Undefeated bantamweight Muay Thai contender Nico Carrillo is not worried about his opponent change at ONE 170 on Jan. 24. He was supposed to challenge reigning two-sport and two-division world champion Superlek Kiatmoo9 for the bantamweight gold, but he begged off due to an injury.

Following this unfortunate event, the world's largest martial arts organization replaced Superlek with No.5-ranked Nabil Anane as Carrillo's opponent inside the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.

Carrillo and Superlek will now fight for the ONE interim bantamweight Muay Thai world title.

This opponent change didn't affect 'King of the North's' goal and mentality, as he remained focused on winning the 26-pound golden belt on fight night. Nico Carrillo revealed this in a recent interview with Sports Illustrated, where he said:

"I'm very happy now that I am still fighting for gold, so the vision in my head is still clear. I'm still gonna get 24 karats of gold on my shoulder on January 24th."

The Scottish striking sensation climbed his way into the number two spot in the division's rankings by not only beating every opponent that the promotion has pitted against him, but also finishing them.

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Nico Carrillo felt the sting of Superlek's withdrawal from their supposed championship battle at ONE 170

Although the Deachkalek Muay Thai Academy representative has moved on from the fact that he won't get his hands on 'The Kicking Machine' at ONE 170, he still admitted the pain of not being able to cash in on the opportunity of becoming an undisputed world champion.

Futhermore, Nico Carrillo also discussed other reasons why he felt gutted on missing the chance to face the Thai superstar. He stated this in the same interview with Sports Illustrated by saying:

"It was a kick in the nuts, I was devastated, to say the least. Obviously, I'd already been training for eight weeks really hard prior to [the injury], but the fact that I'd literally just landed in Thailand, flew my full team out, family were here, family members, and friends had all booked flights for this undisputed fight, it was a kick in the nuts."

ONE 170 will be available via watch.onefc.com. The blockbuster event will take place inside the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.