"It's very obvious what he's going to do" - Nico Carrillo says Superlek's early KO of Jonathan Haggerty didn't surprise him

Nico Carrillo had a keen interest in the main event of ONE 168 that took place at the start of December in Denver.

As the next contender in line for a shot at the ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world championship, the Scottish striker had a lot of thoughts ahead of the bout between then-defending world champion, Jonathan Haggerty, and challenger, Superlek Kiatmoo9.

Superlek became the new divisional king after making an excellent read and timing a devastating elbow as Haggerty looked to close the distance, ending the fight before the very first minute.

Before they collide in a highly anticipated title fight at ONE 170 on Jan. 24, Carrillo gave his thoughts on his next opponent's title win during an appearance on the Leather'd Podcast:

"I just kind of say, look at his footwork, the way he needs to generate power. He steps back into southpaw. He stepped back into orthodox. It's very obvious what he's going to do. He's either going to step in with his hand, or he's going to throw a kick. You need to hit him when he's coming in or you need to chase him when he's going with the stance."

Carrillo continued, talking about how Superlek was able to make that same read to finish the fight and set up their huge clash next year:

"And then it's exactly what Superlek has done. So I was like, I didn't expect it to happen in 50 seconds but I was like not very shocked. All right, I'll fight Superlek now, I was going to do it anyway, so I wasn't surprised.

Watch the full interview below:

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Nico Carrillo won't make the same mistake

In his clash with the world champion at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand, in January, Nico Carrillo will not make the same kind of mistake.

You can't afford to give an elite striker like Superlek the ability to predict your next move because he has the timing, speed, and accuracy to pick you apart.

However, against a dominant physical force like Carrillo, both men face their most dangerous opponents to date.