Nico Carrillo believes Mohamed Younes Rabah turned a blind eye in Saemapetch rematch: "He paid the price for it"

Nico Carrillo has emerged as one of the top contenders in the bantamweight Muay Thai division during his short time with ONE Championship.

The Scotsman is arguably the top contender in the division, but that isn't to say that his fellow rivals haven't been active so far in 2024.

ONE Fight Night 19 was a huge night for the division with Jonathan Haggerty defending the title against Felipe Lobo in the main event.

Earlier on in the night, Saemapetch Fairtex earned his redemption by avenging his controversial loss to Mohamad Younes Rabah from December.

Carrillo weighed in with his thoughts on this fight during an interview with the South China Morning Post, where he suggested that Younes Rabah may have lost some concentration:

"He was a lot bigger, a lot taller than him. He's probably just gone in, really not expecting what to happen, and he paid the price for it. [Saemapetch] was better prepared than the [first] time. And I guess he [knew he] was gonna blow him away the next time."

Watch the full interview below:

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Nico Carrillo would not make the same kind of mistake that cost Mohamed Younes Rabah

Nico Carrillo showed in his fight with former champion Nong-O that he isn't just the future of the division, he might be the present as well.

The aggression and confidence of Mohamed Younes Rabah led to him pulling off that shock-upset win over Saemapetch on late notice.

As Carrillo stated, that same confidence may have cost him in the rematch as the veteran contender turned the tables on him just over a minute and a half into the opening round.

The bantamweight Muay Thai division is heating up, and with several top contenders in the mix, it's only going to get better from here.

North American viewers who missed any of the action from ONE Fight Night can watch the entire event back via the free on-demand replay on Prime Video.

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