Nabil Anane shocked the world in his ONE 170 title-winning victory over Nico Carrillo.
Anane grabbed the ONE Interim Bantamweight Title with a stunning first-round TKO over the Scotsman. Taking the match on short notice following Superlek Kiatmoo9’s exit, Anane was not entering as the favorite.
In a brilliant example of taking full advantage of an opportunity given, Anane earned his first title win of his career.
“I haven’t felt this excited since I was a very young boy. And I feel like I went back and became a young boy again for this fight,” Anane said to ONE.
“Whatever happened, I knew that I had to dedicate a hundred percent to this fight. I didn’t expect a knockout completely, but I said that if there’s an opening and there was an opportunity to do so, I would go for it.”
While there may have been many people to thank after his show-stealing win, his parents were at the front of his mind.
Anane is grateful for how they have raised him and now he stands with 26 pounds of gold as proof of their work as a family to bring him to the forefront of Muay Thai.
“Thanks to my dad, he’s the one who inspired me, pushed me every day, and trained me in the gym. And my mom, who always cooks me food every day, thank you very much,” the new interim champion remarked.
The 20-year-old is grounded by the closest people around him, which does not allow him to get drawn into all of the trappings of being a burgeoning star.
He is thankful for his whole support system.
“There are many people behind me. There are many coaches. My parents are always teaching me how to behave myself and all the teaching that they’ve been giving me,” Anane stated.
“I’m sure that I will stay humble and I will stay in my lane. I will keep practicing, keep working hard after I earn all this money and fame.”
At ONE 172, Anane has a chance to erase the bitter taste of defeat from his ONE debut and become the undisputed bantamweight king.
Although he is celebrating his title win, the 6’4” warrior is already looking ahead to the unification matchup.
“First of all, I want to thank Superlek for giving me the opportunity to know what a world-class athlete is like,” Anane said.
“I’ve been improving myself since that loss to Superlek, and I’ve been training very hard. I’m ready to face him.”
At ONE 172, Anane has a chance to erase the bitter taste of defeat from his ONE debut and become the undisputed bantamweight king.
With so much on the line, he will not be taking a long break. It is right back to work for the 20-year-old talent. Having already felt the power of Superlek, he knows he has to be at his very best to upend the pound-for-pound best in the game.
“I will be prepared for [Superlek]. I will only need a few days of rest, and I will go back to the gym and work hard, and I will be better than this,” the 20-year-old said.
ONE 170 is available on demand in its entirety via ONE’s official YouTube channel.