EXCLUSIVE: Nico Carrillo will aim to emulate Floyd Mayweather and Saenchai, when he goes head-to-head with Nabil Anane for the ONE interim bantamweight Muay Thai world championship.
The eagerly anticipated clash goes down at ONE 170 inside the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.
Nico Carrillo flew to Thailand to start his professional Muay Thai adventure when he was just 16
In the early hours of January 25 (UK time), Nico Carrillo will attempt to produce a moment of Scottish sporting history when he collides with a monstrous 6ft4 opponent in a blockbuster showdown.
The opportunity to win the coveted belt and earn a shot at pound-for-pound King, Superlek, in Saitama, Japan, at ONE 172 on March 23, is the stuff of dreams for ‘The King of the North’, who began his journey in the sport with the ambition of one day reaching this goal.
At the age of 15, the warrior first walked into the gym, instantly falling in love with Muay Thai and competing in his amateur debut just two months later.
A year to the day after this match-up, the Scotsman flew to Thailand, where he fought professionally and realized without a doubt that he was destined for the top.
Nico Carrillo based his fighting style on Floyd Mayweather and Saenchai
The student of the game spent all his spare time watching his heroes Floyd Mayweather and Saenchai, with a determination to figure out the elements of their games that he could utilize in his own style.
In an exclusive interview with Sporf, Carrillo explained: “Over the years, I’ve been obsessed with learning and I still am. To get to this point, I would sit for hours on end and watch the greats like Saenchai. But I wasn’t just a Muay Thai fan, I was a big boxing fan, so I would watch a lot of boxers as well.
“What I would do is be obsessed with watching them and try and emulate their styles in the gym for two weeks. I would see if it works, trying the shoulder roll, seeing if it works for Muay Thai. One day, I’d go in and I’d try Saenchai, and try shuffling my feet. I’d do that on repeat and see what worked for me and what didn’t. I shook it up, and this is what we’ve got now.”
ONE 170 will stream live this Friday, January 24 from Impact Arena in Bangkok beginning at 6:30 AM ET on watch.onefc.com and the ONE YouTube channel.
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Featured Image Credit: Sky Sports / ONE Championship