“Stood in front of him like a plank of wood” - Nico Carrillo on what spelled Fabricio Andrade’s doom against Jonathan Haggerty
Nico Carrillo was all kinds of confused about what took over Fabricio Andrade's failed bid for two-sport glory against Jonathan Haggerty.
While Andrade, the reigning ONE bantamweight MMA world champion, is as smooth as anyone on the feet, the striking he displayed in his match against Haggerty for the vacant bantamweight kickboxing throne was far from his usual style.
In an interview with the South China Morning Post, the Scottish star said Andrade looked sluggish and never had any momentum behind him in the champion-versus-champion duel at ONE Fight Night 16.
Nico Carrillo said:
"Andrade stood in front of him like a plank of wood. So he [Haggerty] got to just bounce around and do what he wanted. You know what I mean?"
Haggerty had the ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world title in his possession when he faced Andrade in the Bangkok card, and fans already expected a brutal back-and-forth between the two world champions.
What happened, though, was an outright domination from the British superstar.
Haggerty darted in and out of Andrade's range and had no problems sending 'Wonder Boy' into the shadow realm with a flurry of punches for the second-round knockout.
Watch Carrillo's entire interview below:
Nico Carrillo can't wait for a potential world title challenge against Jonathan Haggerty
Although he was busy dissecting the matchup between Fabricio Andrade and Jonathan Haggerty, Nico Carrillo also envisioned getting his shot at ONE Championship gold.
Carrillo is the number one contender for Haggerty's ONE bantamweight Muay Thai throne, and he believes it's only a matter of time before he takes a crack at one of 'The General's' world titles.
In the same interview with the South China Morning Post, Carrillo said:
"I am excited [for a potential fight against Jonathan Haggerty]. It's a massive, massive fight. I only signed with the company a year ago, and within one year I'm number one. I've beaten Nong-O [Hama] and now [I should be fighting] for the belt. Nothing's confirmed yet, but in my head, I'm fighting for the belt."
Carrillo captured his top contender status when he notched the biggest win of his career so far.
'King of the North' was still considered a rising star in his first two fights in ONE Championship, but his third outing saw him knock out the legendary Nong-O at ONE Friday Fights 46.