Nico Carrillo dreaming of chance to duke it out with Jonathan Haggerty: "In my head, I'm fighting for that belt"
An all-English world title showdown is something that the top-ranked bantamweight Muay Thai contender Nico Carrillo is dreaming of, as he now targets a championship fight with reigning two-sport world champion Jonathan Haggerty.
Carrillo recently appeared on the South China Morning Post's YouTube channel, where he discussed several things. When asked about the potential of facing 'The General' for the Muay Thai strap, the top contender believes that he should be next in line.
'King of the North' said:
"I am [excited for a potential fight against Jonathan Haggerty]. It's a massive, massive fight. I only signed to the company a year ago. Within one year. I'm number one. I've beat Nong-O and now I [should be] fighting for the belt. Nothing's confirmed yet, but in my head, I'm fighting for the belt."
See the interview below:
The Scottish knockout artist is fresh off the biggest win of his professional career by far, after he scored a second-round knockout of former ONE bantamweight Muay Thai king Nong-O Hama in their match at ONE Friday Fights 46 in December 2023.
That victory extended Nico Carrillo's win streak inthe world's largest martial arts organization to three, as he previously beat Furkan Karabag and Muangthai PK Saenchai.
Haggerty on the other hand is coming off his successful world title defense over Felipe Lobo in their championship clash at ONE Fight Night 19 in February to retain his ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world title with a third-round TKO finish.
Nico Carrillo says that belief in himself was key in massive triumph over Nong-O
Days after his triumph against the Nong-O, Nico Carrillo posted a lengthy Instagram post where he thanked everyone who supported him, including his family, coaches, friends, and sponsors, because they were a key part of this success.
But the Deachkalek Muay Thai Academy and Sor Dechapan credited the belief in himself, citing it as his biggest asset heading into the fight because though others didn't have faith in him, he still counted on himself to get the job done.
Fans eager to relive Nico Carrillo's massive finish of Nong-O can head to ONE Championship's YouTube channel for the full replay of ONE Friday Fights 46.