‘I Am The Hardest, Meanest Puncher’ – Nico Carrillo Explains Why He Is The Most Dangerous Featherweight Striker
“King of the North” Nico Carrillo arrived inside the iconic Lumpinee Stadium on February 13 with a reputation that preceded him — the hardest, meanest puncher in the division. By the time the final bell sounded, he had added another title to his name: ONE Interim Featherweight Muay Thai World Champion.
The Scottish warrior claimed 26 pounds of gold by defeating Thai slugger Shadow Mavinn via unanimous decision in the co-main event of ONE Fight Night 40 on Prime Video in Bangkok, Thailand.
Carrillo was tested throughout the battle, but his heavy fists proved to be the difference. A knockdown in the fourth round with his trademark right hand decisively shifted the fight in his favor, and all three judges agreed after five entertaining rounds.
That crowning moment capped what has been an incredible run on the global stage, built entirely on knockout power.
All six of Carrillo’s previous ONE Championship victories came via stoppage. Five arrived in the second round. One came in the third stanza against Turkish striker Furkan Karabag, showing beyond doubt that his power doesn’t diminish as the battle wears on.
That finishing ability isn’t the product of any one technique. It comes down to explosiveness that, in his view, simply sets him apart from everyone else in the featherweight Muay Thai division:
“I’m simply more explosive than all these guys. The four-ounce gloves are a big help, too. Most people assume I’m just cruising past everyone with something gifted to me, but I still work very hard to make sure my power is vicious.
“Being explosive takes so much out of your gas tank, and to try and be that explosive with the same knockout power across three rounds – three minutes each round – is not easy. But I can do that, and that’s a product of my hard work.”
Pinpointing the exact moment an athlete realizes he hits differently from everyone else is rarely straightforward. For most, it’s a gradual accumulation rather than a single defining moment.
Carrillo is no different. The Glasgow native can’t point to one specific instant when it all clicked.
He told onefc.com:
“It’s hard to pick up an exact moment in my career when it hit me. I was knocking people out on the European circuit, but I did have some nice five-round fights there, too.”
Though Carrillo wasn’t able to finish Shadow, he showcased why an opponent can never sleep on his punching power. A momentary lapse is all he needs to turn the tide.
And as far as the 27-year-old Scot is concerned, no one in the featherweight division across the striking arts hits anywhere close to him.
There is, however, one exception – a former two-time ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Title challenger. But the list ends there:
“I am the hardest, meanest puncher in the entire division. But if I had to pick someone, maybe it’s Marat Grigorian. That’s it. No one else can match me in terms of raw knockout power.”
Carrillo’s Mentality: ‘Your Hands Are Your License To Kill’
For Nico Carrillo, the decision to lead with his fists isn’t tactical. It’s instinctive.
Across all his ONE Championship triumphs, the “King of the North” has shown he can finish opponents in a variety of ways. But it always revolves around his destructive hands.
The moment he finds his range and baits his adversaries with knees, elbows, and kicks, the punches follow. And once that happens, opponents rarely recover:
“I feel like whenever you’re in there, in the ring, your hands are your license to kill. So, I feel it’s just the best option. I know I have some power in my hands, so why not just use it right away?
“I’m always confident that no one can stay up once they take damage from my fists. Plus, with my explosiveness and speed, I guess it just seems like the right thing to do when I’m there fighting against someone.”
Every opponent who has stepped into the Circle or ring with Carrillo has arrived with a game plan built around surviving his boxing combinations. Some have avoided it for a round or two. None, bar Shadow and reigning ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion Nabil Anane, have neutralized it entirely.
Whether that knowledge weighs on a fighter before the first bell even sounds is something Carrillo has thought about, and his answer is characteristically straightforward.
He said:
“I don’t think of it that way, but I suppose it does kind of give me an advantage in some ways, like they’re going to show fear in there.
“But to be honest, I don’t really think of it like that. I’m always prepared for everyone to be the best versions of themselves, and I’ll be the best version of myself. And the valiant one always wins.”
