"I was never in danger" - Nico Carrillo downplays near knockout scare from Nong-O Hama
First-ranked bantamweight Muay Thai contender Nico Carrillo recently downplayed the notion that he was in any danger against Nong-O Hama when they first fought each other last December.
Carrillo had previously defeated two major names in the division by way of stoppages to make him believe that he could do the same to Nong-O Hama. But to his surprise, he faced some adversity that he did not anticipate.
By the end of the first round, Nong-O Hama had seriously compromised Carrillo's leg by chewing it up with some vicious leg kicks. Limping into the second round, the Scottish warrior fought through the pain, letting his hands go until finding the finish at the 1:28 minute mark.
Reflecting upon his astonishing upset, Carrillo seems to negate any notion that he was, in fact, in danger of losing the bout to Nong-O Hama on the fateful night.
He told ONE:
"Like I said, I was never in danger anywhere else apart from it was just upsetting my rhythm. And then the last 10 seconds of the first round, he hit me on the knee, which I've now found out that there's a nerve there that just kind of shuts your leg down."
The Scottish standout is now en route to face another challenging star in Saemapetch Fairtex this Friday, July 5, in a potential world-title eliminator bout at ONE Fight Night 23.
ONE Fight Night 23 is available to stream live in North America with an Amazon Prime Video subscription.
"They all fall" - Nico Carrillo is confident that Saemapetch will meet his untimely end due to his inability to respond well to pressure
It's a well-known fact that Nico Carrillo's boxing is one of his strongest weapons.
The Scottish knockout artist has impeccable timing, power, and precision in close combat. As we saw against Nong-O Hama, Carrillo possesses the ability to overwhelm his opponents with his boxing, causing serious damage to the body and everything else above the neck.
According to the 'King of the North,' Saemapetch will also fall to him. Carrillo told ONE:
"When he's the aggressor, he's awesome. But when he's pressured, he crumbles. They all crumble when they face me. Saemapetch will, just like everyone else. They all fall."