Scottish slugger Nico Carrillo names Nong-O war as "the biggest fight" of his career
Nico Carrillo picked up arguably the most memorable win of his career in his last fight on the global stage of ONE. He's sure that it also marked the biggest fight he's ever participated in throughout his 30-fight resume.
After amassing back-to-back finishes of Furkan Karabag and Muangthai PK Saenchai at the 13th and 22nd edition of ONE Friday Fights, respectively, the Scottish striker was paired against former ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world champion Nong-O Hama. They met at the organization's massive year-end spectacle inside the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
While many viewed it as a chance for the Thai legend to bounce back from his Jonathan Haggerty defeat in April last year, 'King of the North' wasn't willing to fall victim to the Evolve MMA athlete's world-class striking arsenal.
After surviving a barrage of onslaughts in the opening round, the Deachkalek Muay Thai Academy and Sor Dechapan star stormed back to knock his foe out cold just seconds shy from the midway point of the second round, thus earning his No.1-ranked spot in the stacked division.
In an episode of the Sky Sports MMA Club Podcast on Spotify, the 25-year-old striker reflected on his match against his Muay Thai idol, adding why it's easily at the top of his list of proudest career moments.
Nico Carrillo said:
"It has to be. It has to be. That was the biggest fight of my career. What I learned from that fight is you don't go up against a guy who has 500 fights, and expect him to stop throwing his weapons. He's gonna keep walking at you."
Fans eager to relive Nico Carrillo's empathic performance over Nong-O can do so on the ONE Friday Fights 46 replay, which is available on the promotion's YouTube channel and the ONE Super App.
Nico Carrillo has another massive contest lined up at ONE Fight Night 23
In less than a month, Nico Carrillo steps back inside the circle for a guranteed barnburner alongside Saemapetch Fairtex at ONE Fight Night 23 on July 5.
'King of the North' has looked unstoppable throughout his run in the promotion, and he'll want to keep that intact with a possible world title shot in the offing.
However, Saemapetch's hard-hitting style and exeprience facing the best stars under the brightest lights could go a long way in his quest to work himself back into the world title picture with a massive upset inside the Thai capital city.
North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription can catch the entire ONE Fight Night 23 card live in U.S. primetime for free.