WATCH: Scottish monster Nico Carrillo overcomes adversity in sensational KO finish of Thai legend Nong-O Hama
Current number two-rated bantamweight Muay Thai contender Nico Carrillo had a meteoric rise in ONE Championship after sweeping his first four fights under the promotion.
One of the biggest victories on his resume was the second-round knockout win against the former long-time ONE bantamweight Muay Thai king Nong-O Hama in December 2023 at ONE Friday Fights 46.
In a recent Instagram post, ONE Championship looked back at the highlights of that incredibly exciting clash between Carrillo and Nong-O, and they captioned the video with:
"Heated matchup 🔥 Can Scottish sensation Nico Carrillo snatch the bantamweight Muay Thai gold from Superlek at ONE 170? @nicocarillo_kotn"
'King of the North' faced massive adversity during the match, as the Thai legend damaged his left leg early in the fight with his signature power kicks.
But the Scottish star weathered the storm and used his top-tier boxing skills to inflict damage on Nong-O.
Midway into the second frame, Carrillo wobbled Nong-O and fully capitalized on this through a step-through elbow that put the multi-time world champion out cold down the canvas.
This victory has maintained the Deachkalek Muay Thai Academy representative's perfect record and 100% finish rate in the promotion.
Following this massive upset victory over Nong-O, Carrillo added Saemapetch Fairtex to his victim list in July 2024 at ONE Fight Night 23 through another second-round TKO win.
Nico Carrillo to challenge Superlek Kiatmoo9's ONE bantamweight gold at ONE 170
With four fantastic finishes, Carrillo has earned his shot at the ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world title, which is currently held by the two-division and two-sport world champion Superlek Kiatmoo9.
The two knockout artists are set to co-headline the ONE 170 card on January 24, 2025, inside the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.
This marks the first world title shot for Carrillo and the first defense for 'The Kicking Machine' of the ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world title after taking the gold from Jonathan Haggerty at ONE 168: Denver.