‘It’s Going To Be The Nico Show’ – Nico Carrillo Promises To Start His Kickboxing Journey With A Bang
Scottish slugger “King of the North” Nico Carrillo has already conquered Muay Thai on the grandest stage of martial arts. At ONE Fight Night 46: Hemetsberger vs. Diachkova on Prime Video, he takes his first step toward doing the same in kickboxing.
The ONE Featherweight Muay Thai World Champion will temporarily put the four-ounce gloves aside to open his kickboxing account against Chinese newcomer Zhou Jiaqiang in U.S. primetime this Friday, August 14, from Bangkok’s iconic Lumpinee Stadium.
The timing of this fight arrives alongside a major shift for the Glaswegian. Carrillo was recently elevated from interim titleholder to undisputed divisional king, news that would understandably shift most fighters’ focus toward celebration.
Not so for “King of the North,” who insists the achievement changes absolutely nothing about how he is approaching this featherweight kickboxing battle on Friday.
The 27-year-old said:
“Nothing has changed. I have an opponent in front of me that I have to deal with, and I’m locked on that task. The news of me being officially crowned has nothing to do with this fight camp.
“The focus remains the same. I’m very excited to make my kickboxing debut. I’m excited to show the fans that I can do kickboxing and go on to conquer it as well down the road.”
That focus has been built almost entirely around one trademark: finishing power. He opened his promotional account with four straight highlight-reel wins at bantamweight, a stretch that included an explosive finish of former ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion Nong-O Hama.
A World Title heartbreak followed before he moved up to featherweight, where back-to-back knockouts and an impressive five-round display against Shadow Mavinn at ONE Fight Night 40 earned him the interim crown.
Strapping on kickboxing gloves for the first time brings an obvious question mark for any Muay Thai specialist making the jump. Carrillo, however, does not believe the switch changes anything about what he brings to the table:
“The power remains. Small gloves or big gloves, my hands are my greatest tools. It’s not going to be any different this time around. The power I bring is far more powerful than his.
“Also, defensively, my mind is at ease. I can have a lower guard. I won’t be that defensively restricted. I’d be able to punch from different angles, absorb a couple maybe, too, because the gloves can take the impact a lot better.”
Given his track record of finishing fights, it comes as little surprise that Carrillo is not shy about calling his shot heading into this co-main event tilt at ONE Fight Night 46.
Predictions have followed him throughout his career, and more often than not, he has found a way to back them up once the action gets underway.
The ONE Featherweight Muay Thai World Champion said:
“It’s going to be the Nico show once more. This one will be done with a knockout. A finish in round two with a left head kick.”
Carrillo Sets His Sights On A New Sport And Qatar
A statement win on August 14 will not turn Nico Carrillo’s attention toward chasing kickboxing gold immediately, though. The Scotsman’s upcoming plans lie entirely elsewhere, starting with the featherweight Muay Thai division he currently rules.
The world’s largest martial arts organization recently confirmed a renewed three-year partnership with Visit Qatar, bringing a series of major events back to the region starting in March 2027.
The 27-year-old, who was keen to be part of the two stacked cards in the region – ONE 166 in 2024 and ONE 171 in 2025 – knows that timeline lines up perfectly with a discipline switch he has been eyeing for some time:
“To be honest, I’d rather fight MMA. I wanna get this fight sorted, and then defend my belt in November or December, perhaps. And then I want to fight MMA in Qatar in March.”
Should that plan come together, it would mark another significant milestone in his career.
“King of the North” has never been shy about the scale of his ambitions, and this latest goal fits squarely within the bigger picture he has been building toward since the moment he first stepped on the global stage.
Carrillo added:
“It will be another massive step toward my dream of becoming the very best there is.
“I’m already a ONE World Champion, and the next obvious step is to become a two-sport World Champion – kickboxing or MMA alongside Muay Thai. For now, it’s one step at a time.”
