Nabil Anane scored three knockdowns in rapid succession to stop Scottish powerhouse Nico Carrillo and claim the ONE Interim Bantamweight Muay Thai World Title in Thailand.
Fighting in front of a sold-out Impact Arena in Bangkok on Friday, the 20-year-old faced one of his toughest challenges to date.
Carrillo entered the matchup on a 15-bout winning streak, including four knockouts against elite competition in ONE Championship.
However, Anane dictated the pace in the opening moments, using his reach to perfection and overwhelming Carrillo with strikes before dropping him with a massive right hand.
Carrillo was then floored again seconds later by a head kick and although the Scot returned to his feet, a flurry of punches sealed his fate, flooring him for the third and final time with just 25 seconds remaining in the first round.
Scotsman Nico Carrillo couldn’t make it past the first round against the dangerous six-foot-four Nabil Anane
With the technical knockout victory, Anane extended his winning streak to six, improved his record to 39-5, and earned a $50,000 (£40,049) performance bonus from ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong.
He also secured a title unification bout against Superlek Kiatmoo9 – the only man to defeat him in ONE Championship – at ONE 172 in Japan on March 23.
Haggerty shows heart in hard-fought battle with Estupinan
Colombia’s Jordan Estupinan beat England’s Freddie Haggerty via unanimous decision
England’s Freddie Haggerty fought hard during his ONE 170 bout with undefeated Colombian promotional newcomer, Jordan Estupinan but could not weather the storm.
The 20-year-old Brit, who moved up a weight class after going 3-0 in ONE’s strawweight division, looked to dictate the pace early against the unpredictable Colombian, who frequently switched stances and fired sharp kicks to keep him at bay.
However, as Haggerty upped the intensity in the second round, Estupinan countered with a powerful right hand that sent him to the canvas.
The Londoner showed resilience though to beat the eight-count, but he was floored again moments later by an identical punch.
Freddie Haggerty fought hard in his battle against Jordan Estupinan
Haggerty pushed forward in the final stanza, targeting the body with crisp combinations before going up top to the head but the Colombian ultimately weathered the storm.
After three hard-fought rounds, the judges awarded Estupinan the unanimous decision victory.
What is ONE Championship?
Regarded as the largest platform for martial arts on the planet, ONE Championship events feature different disciplines, like mixed martial arts, kickboxing, Muay Thai and more, with world titles for each of their different sports.
ONE founder and CEO Chatri Sityodtong explained: “The way we think of ourselves, other than the home of martial arts, is it’s the Olympics of martial arts.
“In the Olympics, you have multiple disciplines, multiple sports, and the whole world stops to watch the very best of the best compete. There’s no difference in that. We have the very best of the best martial arts on the planet.”
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