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Nico Carrillo's kickboxing gamble could put him on a path to history

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Nico Carrillo's kickboxing gamble could put him on a path to history

A newly crowned champion is stepping into unfamiliar territory instead of taking a victory lap.

Nico Carrillo makes his ONE Championship kickboxing debut against Chinese newcomer Zhou Jiaqiang at ONE Fight Night 46, broadcasting live in US primetime this Friday, August 14, from Bangkok's Lumpinee Stadium. The 27-year-old Scot went from interim titleholder to undisputed ONE Featherweight Muay Thai World Champion last month. This happened after Tawanchai PK Saenchai vacated the belt to continue rehabbing a serious leg injury.

Carrillo earned that opportunity by outworking Shadow Mavinn across five rounds at ONE Fight Night 40 in February. He now carries a 29-4 record and a relentless finishing instinct into this new discipline. A win over Zhou would put him on course to chase two-sport World Champion status. It would also add kickboxing gold to a Muay Thai throne he now holds outright.

“Nothing has changed. I have an opponent in front of me that I have to deal with, and I'm locked on that task. The news of me being officially crowned has nothing to do with this fight camp,†he said.

Nico Carrillo eyes bigger picture beyond Friday

Carrillo has already mapped out a path that extends well past this weekend, with plans to defend his Muay Thai title later this year before pursuing an MMA debut in Qatar as early as March, part of a renewed three-year partnership between ONE Championship and Visit Qatar.

Stacking disciplines immediately after inheriting undisputed gold is a bold call, but it fits a fighter who has built his career on seeking out the toughest available test rather than the safest one.

“I'm already a ONE World Champion, and the next obvious step is to become a two-sport World Champion, kickboxing or MMA alongside Muay Thai. For now, it's one step at a time,†he said.

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM


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MMA

Eddie Hearn draws Dana White line in Tyson Fury-Anthony Joshua talks

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Eddie Hearn draws Dana White line in Tyson Fury-Anthony Joshua talks
Eddie Hearn is standing firm amid the ongoing Tyson
Fury-Anthony
Joshua saga.

Hearn has pushed back after Dana
White recently addressed the ongoing discourse surrounding the
heavyweight matchup. The head of Matchroom Boxing discussed the
involvement of the
Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO and Zuffa Boxing in putting
together the fight and clarified Joshua's stance on the same.

Anthony Joshua’s stance on Dana White and Zuffa Boxing
complicates Tyson Fury fight talks

Hearn was asked about the highly anticipated Fury-Joshua bout after
the Katie Taylor vs. Flora Pili press conference in Dublin,
Ireland, and reiterated that, as per Joshua's contract, there's no
need for Zuffa to get involved.

“No, or else there will be no fight and we'll just keep going,â€
Hearn said at a media scrum captured by Bloody Elbow. “You have to
understand, right? AJ is one of my closest friends; AJ is a
shareholder of Matchroom. So, I know the narrative run by Tyson
Fury is, ‘Oh, Eddie's ego…' No, no, no. We are a team, and AJ will
say to me, ‘Why are they involved?' I said, ‘Exactly, so are you OK
with them not being involved?' He says, ‘Yeah.'â€

Hearn also insists that the exclusion of White and TKO is not
simply his personal preference.

“So, the responses in the addendum are not ‘Eddie Hearn's wishes';
they're Anthony Joshua's wishes,†Hearn added. “The addendum
doesn't have to include ‘still no Dana' because that is in the
original contract. The addendum is just changes.â€

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Salahdine Parnasse sees ‘perfect fight’ in UFC debut against Dan Hooker

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Salahdine Parnasse sees ‘perfect fight’ in UFC debut against Dan Hooker
Salahdine
Parnasse believes Dan Hooker is
the “perfect†matchup for his
Ultimate Fighting Championship debut.

Parnasse will make his Octagon debut against Hooker in the
UFC Paris main event on Sept. 5. The former two-division

KSW champion claims the UFC veteran is the ideal opponent to
showcase his skills against.

Salahdine Parnasse expects his aggressive style to mesh with
Dan Hooker at UFC Paris

Parnasse (23-2) enters the UFC with a ton of hype. While he sees
his upcoming opponent as a “big challenge,†given Hooker's 12-year
run in the UFC, the French fighter likes the stylistic matchup,
especially considering his Kiwi counterpart's aggressive fighting
style.

“Dan Hooker is very strong, very experienced,†Parnasse said at UFC
Paris media day. “That’s why he is at the top of the UFC and I
think he is a big challenge and I love this challenge. I think he
is a very explosive guy who likes to do a lot in his fights. And I
think that with me, it’s a perfect fight because we are both two
guys who like to go out there and put on a great show in the
cage.â€

Parnasse enters the bout riding a five-fight winning streak, with
his last win coming on
Most Valuable Promotions' inaugural mixed martial arts event.
Meanwhile, Hooker is looking to rebound from consecutive losses to
top-ranked lightweights Benoit St.
Denis and Arman
Tsarukyan.

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Alex Pereira’s sister reportedly set for DWCS fight against former One champ

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Alex Pereira’s sister reportedly set for DWCS fight against former One champ
Aline
Pereira could join her brother, Alex
Pereira, in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Pereira is reportedly set to face Smilla
Sundell in a bantamweight matchup on the final episode of

Dana White's Contender Series Season 10 on Oct. 13 at Meta Apex
in Las Vegas.

Aline Pereira reportedly draws Smilla Sundell for DWCS Week
10

Aline, 35, is the younger sister of Alex, a former two-division UFC
champion. In her last outing, she defeated Jade
Masson-Wong at
Most Valuable Promotions' inaugural mixed martial arts event.
Although Aline (3-2) has limited professional MMA experience, she
has established herself in kickboxing (6-2) and Karate Combat
(3-0).

Meanwhile, Sundell (2-0) has recorded both her pro MMA victories
via technical knockout under the Tuff-N-Uff
banner. The 21-year-old Swede was previously a standout in One
Championship, where she won and defended the muay thai
strawweight title.

The matchup, slated for
Week 10 of DWCS 2026, was first reported by Leo Guimaraes.

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