No 1 contender Nico Carrillo is pushing his shot at the Jonathan Haggerty vs Superlek Kiatmoo9 winner and ONE Championship's bantamweight Muay Thai world title; Haggerty meets Superlek in a phenomenal striking clash in the early hours of Saturday morning live on Sky Sports
Tuesday 3 September 2024 22:47, UK
Nico Carrillo doesn't want to defend his No 1 position anymore - he wants his shot at Jonathan Haggerty's world title.
Fresh off a vicious stoppage victory over Saemapetch Fairtex in July, Carrillo is eager to see how Haggerty will fare against the talented Superlek Kiatmoo9 when they fight, live on Sky Sports from 1am on Saturday morning, for the ONE Muay Thai bantamweight world championship.
"I need to see what happens with Haggerty vs Superlek. I would love to fight the winner in November. If Haggerty wins, he won't want to defend against me, he'll do anything he can to not defend against me," Carrillo suggested.
"Superlek would defend against me but I'm not sure if there's plans for him either to fight Rodtang [Jitmuangnon, the flyweight champion] next. I'm in a bit of a sticky situation right now."
Carrillo does not want his title opportunity to be snatched away as other names enter the mix.
"I want to stay active, but I've just defended my No 1 spot [in the bantamweight rankings] against a really dangerous opponent. When you're No 1 the next thing is the title," he told Sky Sports.
"I can't keep defending my No 1 spot, there's too much for me to lose. I've already risked a lot in defending it. I need to fight for the title."
A world champion and No 1 contender both representing Britain colliding in one of combat sport's major organisations would be significant.
Carrillo thinks it should happen next. "That is a fear of mine; that they try and build the fight up more and more and bring it to England. In my opinion, let us fight now and I'll batter him, and we could have a rematch in England. There's no time like the present. We don't need to wait so long to fight," he said.
He added: "I believe I'd knock Jonathan Haggerty out like the rest of them. I have no doubts I'd be victorious and become champion.
"Everything I've said, I've done it. I put my neck out on the line because I come out with these bold statements on what I'm going to do but I've not been wrong yet. I have this burning belief in myself. I just prove myself right every time."
Remaining undefeated in ONE Championship with all four victories coming via knockout underscores that confidence. "I know what the fans want to see in ONE and it's violence, so I switched my style for that," he added.
"It was an amazing idea from the boss [ONE CEO Chatri Sityodtong] to change the gloves to 4oz. It's so much more entertaining and so much more violent.
"When I made the switch over to ONE Championship it was almost like a new sport to me. Before you could absorb a kick or a punch on the glove but fighting for ONE you can't do that because everything gets through, it's such a small space.
"Even a jab can put your lights out, any lapse in concentration is fatal."
ONE 168 on this weekend could clarify the next steps in the career of Nico Carrillo. However, it will not define the impact he looks to leave on the sport as his ambitions go beyond the glory of winning titles.
"My goals go further than just fighting. My goals are to inspire the younger generation. To inspire people. I came from a rough area, from humble beginnings. You don't have to grow up with everything to get everything," he said. "You can choose your path.
"Walking into a Thai boxing gym changed my life. So if it done it for me, I'm certain it can do it for thousands."
Pioneer for British Muay Thai Liam Harrison returns on the September 7 show two years removed from his last bout. He is looking to re-enter the win column against Seksan Or Kwanmuang. Carrillo expects him to do that.
"I think he'll KO Seksan," he said. "I've not got a bad word to say about Liam Harrison. He inspired me and a lot of younger fighters in my gym. He's probably the most successful [British fighter] this generation. He put UK Muay Thai on the map single-handedly."
Carrillo wants to follow in those footsteps as the next trailblazer for the sport in Britain.
"I believe I'm already heading in that direction," he said. "I think [Haggerty] would say the same. There's a problem - we need to see who the king is. Once we fight, we will see who the greatest fighter is in the UK."
Watch Haggerty vs Superlek live on Sky Sports Mix from 1am on Saturday morning
