Nico Carrillo Muay Thai: “Superlek is one of them”

Nico Carrillo may not have lived in Thailand in his Muay Thai career, but he remains an astute student of the Art of Eight Limbs.

The Scottish knockout monster is one of the most studied fighters in the sport, and he believes Superlek Kiatmoo9 is on the cutting edge of the Muay Thai landscape.

In an interview with Sky Sports, Carrillo said he has nothing but respect for the man he will challenge for the ONE Muay Thai world heavyweight title at ONE 170 on January 24, 2025 at Impact Arena.

Nevertheless, Carrillo said that Muay Thai has gone global, there are still a few special Thai fighters who stand out from their lineage.

One such fighter, Carrillo, said that Superlek:

“But you just get these Thais that come along every once in a while and they're just special, and Superlek is one of them. Even with the big gloves, he was winning his fights in stadiums until ONE was around.”

Superlek is already one of the best strikers of this generation, but he's also on his way to becoming one of Muay Thai's greatest fighters.

'The Kicking Machine' has a professional record of 139-29-4 and holds both ONE lightweight kickboxing and heavyweight Muay Thai world titles.

The 29-year-old is also the WBC Muay Thai and two-division Lumpinee Stadium world champion.

Superlek reached the peak of his powers when he started wreaking havoc ONE Championship.

owning a 15-1 promotional record, Superlek is the only one Defeating Thai megastar Rodtang Jitmuangnon in a spectacular match at ONE Championship.

Watch Nico Carrillo's entire interview below:

Nico Carrillo says his only focus is to dethrone Superlek at ONE 170

Nico Carrillo will always keep his options open in his career, but he's not one to look too far ahead, especially as he prepares for the biggest fight of his life.

In an interview with the Leather'd Podcast, Carrillo said it was his only focus Superlek is to take the ONE Muay Thai heavyweight world title from Kiatmoo9 when they face off at ONE 170 in Bangkok.

He said:

“Obviously all my thoughts are on that 145-pound gold. Absolutely. But I'm putting my neck on the line right now, and I'm putting my neck on the line and I said I'm going to do it when I win it. And I'm going to do it and I'm going to do it, but right now I'm focused on that belt.”