“It's my time to get back to her” - Nico Carrillo taking a much-needed break to marry the love of his life
Nico Carrillo is taking a much-needed break to marry his fiancee, who he said helped him a lot to bounce back following the tough loss he absorbed earlier this year.
'King of the North' is set to wed Aimee McIlhinney in Scotland in June after postponing it following his upset loss to Nabil Anane in January for the ONE interim bantamweight Muay Thai world title.
Carrillo got to rebound from the defeat on April 4 at ONE Fight Night 30: Kryklia vs. Knowles on Prime Video in his featherweight debut, scoring a second-round knockout victory over Thai Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong.
In an interview with the South China Morning Post following his victory, Carrillo shared that among his immediate plans was to marry the love of his life. He also took the opportunity to speak about the role McIlhinney played during the tough months following his loss to Anane.
The 26-year-old said:
"I've said that about 20 times now, and getting married to Amy in the summer, and now it's my time to get back to her, because she was there for the hardest time in my life, in January".
"Right through, she was my rock. And now I'm going to get married, and I'm looking to come back out to Thailand for about a time after the wedding, six months a year, I'm going to bring my dog with me as well."
Check out the interview below:
The win at ONE Fight Night 30 also earned Carrillo a $50,000 performance bonus from ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong, which should help cover the expenses for his big day with McIlhinney.
The full replay of ONE Fight Night 30 is available on demand for Prime Video subscribers in North America.
Nico Carrillo expected to enter top five in the featherweight lane after win at ONE Fight Night 30
The latest ONE Championship fighter rankings are not out yet, but Nico Carrillo is expected to enter the top five contenders' list in the featherweight Muay Thai lane following his victory at ONE Fight Night 30. He is set to edge out Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong, the fighter he KO'd in his last match, for the spot in the elite list.
Sitthichai currently sits at No. 5, behind top contender Superbon, No. 2 Bampara Kouyate, No. 3 Jo Nattawut, and No. 4 Shadow Singha Mawynn. The division is still ruled by reigning world champion Tawanchai PK Saenchai.
While he intends to compete in featherweight now, Carrillo is still in the top five in the bantamweight division, sitting at No. 3.