Nico Carrillo Isn’t Satisfied Being A One-Sport King
Undisputed gold in one discipline would be enough for most fighters to finally exhale. Nico Carrillo is already looking past it.
“King of the North” steps into kickboxing for the first time against Chinese newcomer Zhou Jiaqiang at ONE Fight Night 46, broadcasting live in US primetime this Friday, August 14, from Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium.
The 27-year-old Scotsman was just elevated from interim titleholder to undisputed ONE Featherweight Muay Thai World Champion, news he insists has zero bearing on how he approaches Friday.
“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,” he said.
“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.”
Carrillo built his Muay Thai run on finishing power, opening his promotional account with four straight highlight-reel wins at bantamweight, including a stoppage of former ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion Nong-O Hama. He does not believe swapping four-ounce gloves for kickboxing gloves changes what makes him dangerous.
“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,” he said.
True to form, Carrillo is not shy about calling his shot heading into new territory.
“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.”
Beyond Friday, Carrillo’s ambitions stretch well past kickboxing. He is eyeing an MMA debut in Qatar as early as March, part of a broader push to become just the fourth two-sport World Champion in ONE Championship’s history.
“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.”
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