In the world of combat sports, there is a proverb that states, “If you want to be the best, you have to beat the best.” In the case of Nico Carrillo, a rising star in the sport of Muay Thai from Scotland, he surely took this proverb to heart when he competed against the renowned Nong-O Hama at ONE Friday Fights 46 on the 22nd of December.
Carrillo, who was ranked as the fifth-best bantamweight Muay Thai fighter in the world by ONE Championship, was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders as he entered the fight considering that it was the most important fight of his career.
Carrillo took advantage of his reach against Nong-O and peppered him with infrequent straights and punches. However, the Thai megastar responded with leg kicks that left the “King of the North” staggering towards his corner by the time the first round came to a close.
Nevertheless, Carrillo found his second wind in the second round and took the counsel that his coach had given him the previous month to heart. With 1 minute and 32 seconds left on the clock, Carrillo pounded Nong-O with a powerful elbow to put him out of his misery.
Following the fight, the Scotsman gave an interview in which he discussed his enormous victory:
“I cannot express how grateful I am; it is not finished until it is over. I do not have any intention of giving up, so if you want to defeat me, you will have to knock me out because I do not have any intention of giving up.
What’s next for Nico Carrillo?
It was previously revealed by English Muay Thai star Liam Harrison that the individual who emerged victorious between Carrillo and Nong-O with the intention of challenging Jonathan Haggerty for the ONE bantamweight Muay Thai global championship is anticipated to be the victor.
Carrillo, who is only 25 years old, would be in possession of the opportunity of a lifetime if he were to compete against Haggerty; however, it is yet unknown whether the ONE Championship brass will give him the chance to do so.
