“It’s going to be a war” - Nabil Anane promises absolute barnburner against Nico Carrillo in interim world title brawl at ONE 170
Nabil Anane promised an all-out brawl when he gets locked inside the cage against Nico Carrillo. The towering standout will have the biggest fight of his career, so far, when he takes on Carrillo for the ONE interim bantamweight Muay Thai world title at the stacked ONE 170 card on Friday at Impact Arena.
In an interview with ONE Championship, Anane said that the only way Carrillo is beating him is via knockout but it's a route the 6-foot-4 phenom is hellbent on preventing.
Nabil Anane said:
"If he wants to beat me, he must put me to sleep or something. If not, it’s going to be a war.”
Anane and Carrillo are two of the hottest fighters in the bantamweight class, with both strikers putting on showstoppers every time they were called upon.
The Thai-Algerian star fell short in his duel against ONE flyweight kickboxing and bantamweight Muay Thai world champion Superlek Kiatmoo9, but his redemption was the stuff of fairy tales.
The fifth-ranked bantamweight Muay Thai contender put on a five-fight winning streak, with two knockout wins, against Nakrob Fairtex, Muangthai PK Saenchai, Kulabdam Sor Jor Piek Uthai, Felipe Lobo, and Soe Lin Oo.
Carrillo, meanwhile, proved that he is a monster among men to climb to the number two position in the bantamweight MMA rankings.
'King of the North' is a perfect 4-0 in ONE Championship, with knockout wins over Furkan Karabag, Muangthai, the legendary Nong-O Hama, and Saemapetch Fairtex.
ONE 170 is available live at watch.onefc.com.
Nico Carrillo has all the respect for Nabil Anane's work ethic
They may be intent on knocking each other out, but Nico Carrillo has immense respect for Nabil Anane's insane drive.
Anane was a two-time WBC Muay Thai world champion before making his ONE Championship debut in June 2023, but his hype train got derailed when he lost in his first match against Superlek.
Undeterred, Anane went on a blinder and collected five straight wins following his defeat.
Carrillo saw what Anane had done and told ONE Championship how proud he was of the 20-year-old's work ethic to reach the division's top-five rankings.
"I like him. He's young, he hasn't been given anything. He's a humble, hardworking guy, so there's nothing but respect from my side."