Nico Carrillo is known as “The King of the North,” but now stands one more match away from being the king of ONE Championship’s bantamweight Muay Thai division. The Scot reigned supreme at ONE Fight Night 23 on July 5. The second-round TKO over Saemapetch Fairtex cemented his status atop the contender’s board
“I’m on cloud nine. I’m very happy with my performance. And yeah, another Thai legend added to the list. Not many people can say they’ve done what I’m doing,” Carrillo said after the event.
The match had a hot start, with both strikers gunning for a finish. Although Carrillo pressed forward, Saemapetch’s lightning-fast left-straight gave him pause. However, after three minutes of action, Carrillo figured out Saemapetch’s movements to make it one-way traffic in the second round.
“I wasn’t surprised [by his durability]. I think he had a bit of a weird tactic. He was ducking his head when I was coming in close, and I had to readjust to that because it was taking the power out of my shots. That was a bit strange. But after I readjusted, yeah, I knew he wouldn’t be able to take the shots,” the 25-year-old stated.
The win marked Carrillo’s fourth straight victory in ONE. It was also his first in U.S. primetime, introducing him to a new wave of fans around the world. His perfect 100% finishing rate was left intact, but Carrillo doesn’t want it to end there.
At 25, “The King of the North” believes he is just getting started. He feels his athletic prime is still years away, which could be a scary proposition for every bantamweight worldwide. If true, an already bright present has a blinding future set for the Scot.
“I’m still improving, even in this fight camp alone. I’m a new fighter compared to seven months ago when I fought Nong-O. That shows how much I’m improving in the space of one fight camp. I’ve improved so much, and I don’t believe I’m in my prime yet. I don’t think I’ll be at my prime until I’m like 27, 28. You should still see the best of Nico [to come]. I’m like a fine wine,” Carrillo said.
At ONE 168: Denver, ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion Jonathan Haggerty will defend the title against Superlek Kiatmoo9. Carrillo is adamant he is next in line and will challenge whoever exits with the gold. Still, he wants the winner to be “The General” to set up a massive Muay Thai clash with the Brit.
“I’m not sure [who’ll win that fight], but I would prefer to fight Haggerty. Not because he’s better or anything. I would just like to be the one to take the belt from him,” the Scot offered.