‘The Best Year Of My Life’ — Nico Carrillo Eyes World Title Gold After Sweet Ending To 2025
Scottish knockout machine Nico “King of the North” Carrillo marched into 2025 ready to hoist 26 pounds of gold in the very first month of the year.
The 27-year-old brought a pristine 4-0 ONE Championship slate into January, all coming inside the distance over elite opposition, including a win over former ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion Nong-O Hama and World Title challenger Saemapetch Fairtex.
But before his year could truly get underway, reality arrived with brutal force.
At ONE 170 in January, Nabil Anane delivered a stunning first-round TKO that denied Carrillo the ONE Interim Bantamweight Muay Thai World Title.
For a fighter who had built his reputation on unshakeable confidence and devastating finishes, the abrupt ending was difficult to process:
“I hadn’t lost a fight in a very long time. So it really took a dent on me. I was heartbroken, especially with it being for the World Title. I’m still bitter about it because it wasn’t like the better man won or anything, but it was just because my body just outgrew the [weight class].
“But just like every great story, you have to come back and prove to yourself. It took a lot of courage for me to do that, but I’m glad things went the way they did.”
Rather than continue forcing his body into a weight limit that he could no longer make, Carrillo decided to make a permanent move to the featherweight Muay Thai bracket.
“King of the North” dazzled in his divisional debut by dismantling Sitthichai “Killer Kid” Sitsongpeenong in the second round at ONE Fight Night 30 in April. The display also earned him a US$50,000 performance bonus.
Then, he maintained his ferocious 100 percent finishing rate in the organization when he sent Luke “The Chef” Lessei crashing to the canvas via a barrage of knees and uppercuts at ONE Fight Night 37 this past November.
Looking back at those highlight-reel triumphs, Carrillo shared:
“Those victories were the fruit of my labor. I came out of one of the darkest times of my career and had to get myself mentally back at 100 percent. Winning meant a lot, but more importantly, I knew I had to win in style.
“My build is perfect now at featherweight. I feel I should have moved up to featherweight a little bit earlier, but I fought really hard to get to the title at bantamweight. So, when I got there, I wasn’t just going to let the opportunity slip.”
The year wasn’t defined solely by Carrillo’s redemption in the ring, though.
Sandwiched between those two massive finishes came the greatest triumph of his life outside of competition — marrying longtime sweetheart Aimee McElhinney in June.
With two destructive displays on the global stage and one life-changing celebration outside of it, the January setback to Anane now feels like a distant memory, reframed as the catalyst that set everything in motion.
The Scotsman reflected:
“Even though that happened [losing to Anane] at the start of the year, it’s still been the best year of my life. It was memorable mainly because I came back from adversity and shut up the doubters again. Moreover, it was because I married my best friend. It was a 10/10, not solely just for what happened in the ring, but life in general.”
Carrillo Seeks Tawanchai World Title Shot In 2026
Nico Carrillo will enter 2026 hoping to claim ONE gold. And there’s only one name at the top of his mind: ONE Featherweight Muay Thai World Champion Tawanchai PK Saenchai.
After closing out the year with a pair of brutal knockouts, the 27-year-old believes he’s done his bit to earn a shot at the most coveted prize in “the art of eight limbs” today.
He told onefc.com:
“Tawanchai — that’s the only guy on my radar. I’ve done everything I had to do at bantamweight before. The World Title fight didn’t go my way, but it was because of my weight.
“Now, I’ve shown two trademark knockouts at featherweight. I put out Sitthichai and Luke Lessei. I’ve done the work again here at featherweight. So I believe I should be granted my shot at the belt.”
Tawanchai, however, has expressed interest in continuing his pursuit of two-sport glory and a trilogy against undisputed ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Champion Superbon.
If the PK Saenchai Muaythaigym athlete chooses that path, “King of the North” respectfully wants the Thai star to vacate the Muay Thai belt and let the division move forward.
In fact, the Scottish knockout artist has the perfect solution in place if Tawanchai is too occupied with his kickboxing quest for gold. “King of the North” wants a battle against Shadow Singha Mawynn to crown a new featherweight Muay Thai king.
Carrillo shared:
“Well, there are really only two fighters who stand out here from the amazing talent we have in this weight class — that’s me and Shadow. Both of us should be fighting for the belt, and I’m sure that’s the fight fans want to see in 2026.”
