ONE Championship: Carrillo not keen to sit and wait for bantamweight title shot
- Nico Carrillo ready to take on winner of battle between Jonathan Haggerty and Superlek Kiatmoo9 at ONE 168
Nico Carrillo is not known for his ability to sit still, and having cemented his place as the top contender in ONE’s Muay Thai bantamweight division, the Scottish fighter is eager for his next challenge.
That could be a title fight against the winner of the battle between Jonathan Haggerty and Superlek Kiatmoo9 at ONE 168, and Carrillo knows who he wants to win.
The 25-year-old believes a Superlek victory would get him back in the ring faster than if reigning bantamweight champion Haggerty keeps his belt.
“I’m not rooting for any of them, but it favours me if Superlek wins because I know he would fight me right away,” Carrillo said. “If Haggerty wins he will probably go on six months holiday.”
Carrillo has earned his title shot, beating three top fighters in a row, with his third round stoppage of Saemapetch Fairtex at ONE Fight Night 23 last weekend the latest of these.
But that win came more than six months after he knocked former bantamweight champion Nong-O Gaiyanghadao. And he was not exactly grateful for the rest.
“I don’t like being inactive, you do something amazing like knock out Nong-O and then months and months go by,” Carrillo said. “When you’re inactive all the nerves come back, but I showed that I’m meant to be here, I do everything I say I’m going to do.”
The Scot certainly does not sit around waiting for his next opponent, and if there are no fights to train for heads out into the countryside to let off steam.
“I am the hardest worker and I take pride in that,” he said. “When I’m not in fight camp I’m running mountains in Scotland, I’m running ultra marathons, 50 mile races.
“I’m staying active. I don’t like to sit back I like to keep doing really hard things and challenging myself.”
