‘It Broke My Heart’ – Nico Carrillo Opens Up About Devastating Loss To Nabil Anane

Nico “King of the North” Carrillo is using the pain of his most recent defeat to fuel his fire ahead of his upcoming featherweight Muay Thai clash against Sitthichai “Killer Kid” Sitsongpeenong at ONE Fight Night 30: Kryklia vs. Knowles on Prime Video.

Scheduled for U.S. primetime on April 4, that contest will be Carrillo’s first appearance since he suffered a stunning first-round knockout loss to Thai-Algerian phenom Nabil Anane in his unsuccessful bid for the ONE Interim Bantamweight Muay Thai World Title.

When he squares off with the #4-ranked contender Sitthichai at Bangkok’s iconic Lumpinee Stadium, the Scottish powerhouse will aim to erase the memory of that moment – and announce himself as a serious World Title threat at featherweight.

After dominating the European and UK Muay Thai circuit, Carrillo enjoyed a meteoric rise in ONE, rattling off four straight knockouts to become the #1-ranked bantamweight Muay Thai contender.

Those jaw-dropping performances earned him a shot at the interim gold against Anane this past January at ONE 170, but his world came crashing down when he was dropped to the canvas three times in less than three minutes.

Carrillo recently spoke to onefc.com about that crushing defeat:

“I was devastated. I’d never wanted the clocks to turn back so much.

“The one thing I wanted to do in life at that point was turn the clocks back, and I knew I couldn’t. It broke my heart. I’ve never been as heartbroken as I was that night. I’d have taken a family member dying much easier than I took that defeat, but it’s now a reminder of what can happen in this game.”

The 26-year-old has tasted defeat just four times in his professional career, but his loss to Anane hit the hardest.

In the weeks following ONE 170 – with no return fight yet booked and no hard training on his schedule – he struggled mightily.

More than anything else, Carrillo wanted the chance to bounce back:

“When you get beat, the only thing you want to do is get right back to it. But I live in Scotland. I don’t have any great sparring partners or trainers outside of my immediate training circle. My coach is in Thailand a lot, too.

“For a few weeks, I was pulling my hair out waiting for news. I can’t just disappear to Thailand. I have responsibilities here. It just made me realize that training and fighting Muay Thai is the only thing that makes me happy.

“It’s all that has mattered to me since that day. I’m dying to right that wrong.”

Now, with his battle against Sitthichai right around the corner, “King of the North” has once again found his groove and is ready to begin his climb toward the featherweight Muay Thai gold.

His World Title loss to Anane, he added, was anything but easy. But with time, he’s come to realize that there are no highs without lows and no triumphs without tragedies:

“One of my favorite [quotes] that’s helped me during this time is, ‘Stars can’t shine without darkness.’ It’s not always the way you see it, but sometimes, you have to reach rock bottom in order to reach the summit again.

“Sometimes in life, you’re going to get clouded out, but you need to find the light. I’ve been keeping it in my mind, and I’m going to show the world how bright of a star I will be.”

Carrillo Details Lessons Learned From Loss To Anane

Nico Carrillo has made key changes to his training, preparation, and strategy following his loss to Nabil Anane.

Notably, he’s no longer cutting calories to slim his body down to the bantamweight limit, where he was perhaps the division’s biggest and most heavily muscled athlete.

He’s also taking a more holistic approach to striking and is honing all of his Muay Thai weapons:

“I’ve put the lessons of loss into practice. I’m ready to show the world it was a one-off. As a result, I’ve actually gone back to try and master Muay Thai and not just knock people’s heads off with my boxing.

“I’ve gone back to how I used to fight, engaging in the full powers of Muay Thai with my heavy kicks instead of just boxing with [4-ounce] MMA gloves on. But the biggest lesson was to listen to your body and never put it under that stress again versus people at the highest level.”

Of course, Carrillo wants to utilize his trademark finishing instincts and show-stopping power against Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong, but he’ll employ a more thoughtful, cerebral style in search of the knockout.

He explained:

“I’m going to be more composed. I’ll be a bull in a china shop if the opportunity presents itself – that’s just killer instinct. That’s deep within me. But I will try to be tidier by setting up things with kicks and using my full range of tools.”