"I was in control" - Nico Carrillo says Saemapetch KO showcased his confidence and poise
Nico Carrillo expected Saemapetch Fairtex to be another tough test under the ONE Championship banner. However, it was anything but that as the Scotsman cruised to his fourth knockout in as many appearances on the global stage.
'King of the North' attacked from the outside, utilizing his knees and kicks to get in range. From proximity, the Deachkalek Muay Thai Academy man slowly got the better of his Thai counterpart in their pivotal bantamweight Muay Thai fixture at ONE Fight Night 23 on July 5.
With a solid plan and potential path to victory carved out, Nico Carrillo slammed his foot on the gas pedal and earned two quickfire knockdowns in round two.
Seconds later, a final set of strikes dropped the No.4-ranked contender on his knees, which instantly earned him the knockout at the 2:03 mark of the stanza.
Looking back at his confidence and game plan for the fixture, the top-ranked contender had this to say to the South China Morning Post:
"Going in there, I showed myself that I'm meant to be here. I see everything I'm going to do.
"Just being in there, how I feel. I was confident, I was in control, and everything was in there, so it gave me confidence for my next fight."
While nothing is official yet, Nico Carrillo's win inside the 'Mecca of Muay Thai' last week should bag him a shot at the ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world championship.
Watch the full interview here:
Nico Carrillo on cloud nine after taking out "another Thai legend"
Nico Carrillo's stellar 4-0 run in ONE Championship has come against the very best in the business including three local Muay Thai legends.
After finishing Furkan Karabag in his debut, the Scottish slugger bagged knockouts against Muangthai PK Saenchai, Nong-O Hama, and the aforementioned, Saemapetch.
Taking pride in his streak, 'King of the North' had this to say at the official post-event press conference:
"Another Thai legend added to the list. Not many people can say they've done what I'm doing."
North American fans who missed the July 5 event can watch the replay for free on Amazon Prime Video.