“I was in a bad place mentally” - Nico Carrillo admits loss to Nabil Anane messed up his mental psyche
Scottish Muay Thai fighter Nico Carrillo admitted to being in a bad place mentally after his upset loss in his last match. He said that prompted him to get back into action even on a short turnaround to address it.
The 'King of the North' fell short on his long-sought goal of being world champion back in January, losing to Algerian-Thai phenom Nabil Anane for the interim bantamweight world title.
While he was a heavy favorite to win the belt, Carrillo found himself on the raw end of Anane's impressive striking, that saw him hit the mat three times in the opening round for the TKO defeat.
In an interview with Bloody Elbow, Nico Carillo shared what it felt like immediately after the defeat and his line of thinking.
He said:
"And, you know, I was in a bad place mentally. And the only way to get out, the only way for me at least, was to get out of that hole, and get back into the winner’s column. And that’s the reason it was such a short turnaround."
Watch the full interview below:
Nico Carrillo looks to redeem himself when he plunges back into action on April 4 at ONE Fight Night 30: Kryklia vs. Knowles at the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
It will mark his featherweight debut in ONE Championship, going up against veteran Thai fighter Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong in a three-round joust.
ONE Fight Night 30: Kryklia vs. Knowles is available for free to North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.
Nico Carrillo says he is in full health for featherweight debut at ONE Fight Night 30
Nico Carrillo may be coming off a bad loss, but he said for his return to action and featherweight debut at ONE Fight Night 30, he is in full health.
He made the assurance in an interview with ONE Championship, saying that he is in condition more than ever for his scheduled match and cannot wait to get the job done.
The 26-year-old Glasgow, Scotland native said:
“I believe it was the tip of the iceberg. Looking back, the time Nong-O hurt my leg, was it from him or just from the weight cut? I think about these things. I was getting away with it for a long, long time, but now I’m going in at full health, and I’m so excited to see how it unfolds."
In his featherweight debut, Nico Carrillo will be tested by Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong, who is out to get a bounce-back win aftre losing in his last match back in December.