Nico Carrillo dissects heartbreaking loss to Nabil Anane ahead of featherweight debut

One day you’re on top of the world. The next, you’re at rock bottom. That accurately sums up Muay Thai knockout artist Nico Carrillo’s mentality following his defeat to ONE Interim Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion Nabil Anane at ONE 170 in January.

After much thought, the #3-ranked bantamweight Muay Thai contender enters the featherweight division this Friday, April 4, at ONE Fight Night 30: Kryklia vs. Knowles. He meets #4-ranked star Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium.

Carrillo entered ONE 170 feeling so bulletproof that many fans not only sensed it, but they believed it too. That’s why his first-round loss was so jaw-dropping.

Fortunes can change in the click of a finger in combat sports. So Carrillo enters ONE Fight Night 30 a much more grounded warrior.

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

“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.”

Nico Carrillo explains how philosophy helped him get past ONE 170

For Nico Carrillo, ancient philosophy has always been a focal point of his. One look at his Instagram captions will tell you that. Ahead of ONE Fight Night 30, the Scotsman reopened his textbooks and regained his composure. Now he’s ready to show a new division that he cannot lose.

“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,” he said.

“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.”