‘Another Thai Legend Added To The List’ – Nico Carrillo Thrilled With KO Win Over Saemapetch
At ONE Fight Night 23, top-ranked contender Nico “King of the North” Carrillo added another massive win to his resume to further his pursuit of the ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Title.
The Scottish slugger finished #4-ranked Saemapetch Fairtex live in U.S. primetime this past Friday, July 5, dropping the Thai veteran three times in the second round to earn the TKO at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
That impressive highlight-reel victory moved his career record to 27-3.
In addition, Carrillo now has a perfect 4-0 slate in the world’s largest martial arts organization, and all of those have come via stoppage against top-level competition.
Reflecting on another landmark win, the 25-year-old said:
“I’m on cloud nine. I’m very happy with my performance. And yeah, another Thai legend added to the list. Not many people can say they’ve done what I’m doing.”
Saemapetch has been one of the bantamweight Muay Thai division’s top contenders since its inception. The Fairtex representative previously challenged for the World Title and has posted nine promotional victories over some of the biggest names in the sport.
This win wasn’t a given for Carrillo, and the Thai favorite made him work for it in the opening stanza. But once “King of the North” got a read on his opponent and made some adjustments in between rounds, he was confident the knockout would come.
Carrillo said:
“I wasn’t surprised [by his durability]. I think he had a bit of a weird tactic. He was ducking his head when I was coming in close, and I had to readjust to that because it was taking the power out of my shots. That was a bit strange. But after I readjusted, yeah, I knew he wouldn’t be able to take the shots.”
Carrillo Believes The Best Is Yet To Come
With his record of 27-3 dwarfed by the hundreds of battles his recent opponents have competed in, Nico Carrillo is still relatively young in the game compared to the elite-level Thais he has been knocking out.
Adding Saemapetch Fairtex to a list that includes multiple-time Muay Thai World Champions Nong-O Hama and Muangthai PK Saenchai, “King of the North” has shown marked improvements with every outing. The Glasgow native thinks that should be a warning to his bantamweight peers as he continues to evolve on his rapid ascent toward the gold.
Carrillo said:
“I’m still improving, even in this fight camp alone. I’m a new fighter compared to seven months ago when I fought Nong-O. That shows how much I’m improving in the space of one fight camp.
“I’ve improved so much, and I don’t believe I’m in my prime yet. I don’t think I’ll be at my prime until I’m like 27, 28. You should still see the best of Nico [to come]. I’m like a fine wine.”
Carrillo’s goal is to get his hands on the ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Title, which is currently held by two-sport king Jonathan “The General” Haggerty.
The Londoner will defend it against ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Champion “The Kicking Machine” Superlek Kiatmoo9 at ONE 168: Denver, and “King of the North” will be looking to challenge the victor.
Although he doesn’t want to pick a winner, Carrillo would like to be the one to dethrone Haggerty, so he’s hoping “The General” will leave Ball Arena with the strap on Friday, September 6.
Carrillo offered:
“I’m not sure [who’ll win that fight], but I would prefer to fight Haggerty. Not because he’s better or anything. I would just like to be the one to take the belt from him.”
