Scottish Muay Thai superstar, ‘King of the North’ Nico Carrillo, is fresh off his shocking come-from-behind knockout victory over legendary Thai icon and former ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world champion Nong-O Hama last year and claims he took on the toughest version of the 37-year-old veteran.
Nong-O Hama is widely considered one of the greatest Muay Thai fighters of not only this generation but of all time. He held the bantamweight Muay Thai gold for years, winning the belt in 2019 and going on to make seven successful world title defenses in dominant performances.
However, tragedy struck when Nong-O ran into the UK’s Jonathan Haggerty in April of 2023, losing by first-round stoppage and surrendering his Muay Thai gold.
Carrillo, who earned his spot on the ONE Championship roster by electrifying fans at ONE Friday Fights, took on Nong-O just last December. The two met at ONE Friday Fights 46: Tawanchai vs. Superbon, which took place at the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
‘King of the North’ came storming back after being nearly out in the first round to end Nong-O in the middle of the second with a huge elbow.
Speaking to the South China Morning Post in a recent interview, Carrillo said his win over Nong-O was the best of them. He said:
“It’s a bit mad because I believe I got the best version of Nong-O tonight. He really came out for redemption [after losing to Jonathan Haggerty]. I’ve seen how fired up he was and stuff as well so I believe I got the best version of him tonight as well.”
Check out Nico Carrillo’s full interview below:
What’s next for Nico Carrillo?
The sky’s the limit for Nico Carrillo. Following his victory over the legendary Nong-O Hama, the 25-year-old is faced with some interesting challenges in the near future.
One fight that sticks out is a showdown with the reigning ONE bantamweight Muay Thai and kickboxing world champion Jonathan ‘The General’ Haggerty himself.
Carrillo called Haggerty out immediately following his fight with Nong-O, and it seems the best fight for ‘King of the North’ next.
