ONE Fight Night 23: Nico Carrillo Plans To Use Saemapetch As Springboard To Haggerty-Superlek Winner

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Scottish Muay Thai knockout artist and top-ranked bantamweight Nico Carrillo isn't overlooking number-four contender Saemapetch Fairtex. But he certainly knows that a victory this weekend would put him on the cusp of clinching a World Title opportunity in the future.

"King of the North" meets the Thai veteran in the co-main event of ONE Fight Night 23: Ok vs. Rasulov this Saturday, 6 July, inside Bangkok, Thailand's Lumpinee Boxing Stadium. Carrillo has quickly risen up the ranks in ONE Championship, and he believes he's still improving with every fight.

"I know I have a serious contender in front of me. I don't overlook him in any way. He's up there as one of the hardest hitters in the division," Carrillo said.

"But I'm at a stage in my career where I haven't been beaten in a long time, and I'm very confident in my ability that I can handle anything in my fights. I'm only getting better with age. I'm like a fine wine."

There haven't been many stars who've cemented themselves in their division as quickly as Carrillo has. He may have had only three bouts in ONE, but each clash has had huge ramifications.

It started with a knockout of Furkan Karabag at ONE Friday Fights 13 in March 2023. He followed that up with a destruction of the legendary Muangthai PK Saenchai. And he added more prestige to his name with a second-round comeback against former bantamweight king Nong-O Hama.

Should he put away another Thai superstar in Saemapatch, it's hard to deny the number-one contender the next shot at gold. So he'll be paying close attention to ONE 168: Denver's clash between two-sport king Jonathan Haggerty and flyweight kickboxing champ Superlek Kiatmoo9.

"At this point, I feel like I'm the best fighter in the world. I'm the most hard-working. All I need is for ONE to make the right matchups, put me on the platform, and let me prove it because I have done that so far, every single time," Carrillo said.

"When I beat Saemapetch and you look at my resume and see I've beaten fighters like him, Nong-O, Seksan [Or Kwanmuang], and others, the only thing that says I'm not the best in the world is a golden strap.

"It's just a case of me holding my position. I beat Saemapetch and then I'm undeniable after that. I am certain that I should get the winner of Haggerty versus Superlek."