Nico Carrillo to defend featherweight muay thai title against the man who knocked him out

ONE Championship has booked a rematch between featherweight muay thai world champion Nico Carrillo and Nabil Anane, the fighter who stopped him in their only previous meeting, according to the promotion's announcement. The bout headlines The Inner Circle 43 on Dec. 18 at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok.

The two first met at ONE 170 in January 2025, when Anane stepped in on short notice for an injured Superlek Kiatmuu9 and finished Carrillo by first-round TKO, dropping him three times to claim the interim ONE bantamweight muay thai title. Both results are confirmed on Carrillo's and Anane's tracked fight records.

Since that loss, Carrillo has rebuilt at featherweight. He won the interim title by beating Shadow Mavinn at ONE Fight Night 40 in February 2026, then was elevated to undisputed champion in July after Tawanchai PK Saenchai vacated the belt. He also moved into kickboxing, stopping Zhou Jiaqiang in the second round at ONE Fight Night 46 in August.

Anane, who holds dual Thai and French citizenship and trains in Pattaya, later won and lost the undisputed bantamweight muay thai title himself before dropping a split decision to Suakim Pongsuphan PK in August. He returned to the win column with a unanimous decision over Yuki Yoza at ONE Samurai 4 in October, a result that keeps him ranked among the promotion's top bantamweight contenders as he moves up to challenge Carrillo.

A win would give Anane a second victory over Carrillo and a 2-0 series lead. A win for Carrillo would even the series and open the door to a possible decider, while a loss would end his featherweight reign in almost the same fashion that cost him the bantamweight interim belt nearly two years earlier.

The Dec. 18 card's co-main event pairs ONE strawweight muay thai champion Prajanchai Pongsuphan PK against interim titleholder Aliff Sor Dechapan in a title unification bout.