"It was not me that night" - Nico Carrillo says he wasn't at his best at ONE 170, says smaller fighters could've finished him
Every world-class athlete experiences a slump at one point in their career, but 26-year-old Muay Thai star Nico Carrillo went through one at the worst possible time.
This past January, the Scottish standout competed for the ONE interim bantamweight Muay Thai world championship against the 6-foot-4 Nabil Anane. Despite fans expecting him to leave the event with the crown, Carrillo was on the wrong end of a highlight-reel performance from the Thai-Algerian. Anane captured the interim crown via first-round TKO.
Reflecting on that showing in an interview with the promotion, the third-ranked ONE bantamweight Muay Thai competitor bared his thoughts about what went wrong:
"Prajanchai could've hit me that night and put me down. Johan Ghazali could've, too. It was not me that night. So I'm now with a point to prove."
Almost three months since his four-fight winning streak ended, 'King of the North' is leaving behind the 145-pound division to move up to the featherweight Muay Thai ranks.
He will make his 155-pound Muay Thai debut on Friday, April 4, at ONE Fight Night 30 against the fifth-ranked ONE featherweight Muay Thai competitor, Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong.
ONE Fight Night 30 will emanate from the legendary Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. The event will be available live and free to all Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.
Nico Carrillo feels like a new man heading into ONE Fight Night 30
Undergoing a soft reboot can sometimes be necessary for some athletes, and Nico Carrillo believes the move to featherweight has breathed new life into his career.
Speaking with the promotion, the 26-year-old said:
"It does feel like a new beginning. I've been enjoying this a lot more. I've not had to be in a calorie deficit for weeks on end so I've been able to eat more and learn more. I've actually been able to get better."