Interim ONE featherweight Muay Thai world champion Nico Carrillo was more patient than usual in his co-main event clash with Shadow Singha Mawynn at ONE Fight Night 40 last Feb. 13.
After all, he respected the Thai’s uncanny ability to thrive in chaos. ‘King of the North’ clocked the valiant Thai warrior across five rounds, but opted to pick his moments and disengage when needed.
By Round 4, Shadow was the one who got impatient, and Carrillo made him pay with a crushing right hand that caused a knockdown.
The Glasgow native eventually cruised to a unanimous decision win and claimed 26 pounds of gold.
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Carrillo shared with Nick Atkin of the Bangkok Post:
“Yeah, definitely. But I also wasn’t stressed about it. We planned to go in not fast and just feel, you know, a different approach that you are probably used to seeing. But it was a five-round fight, so I think it was important that I did that. First round, if he took the first round, okay, I thought it was a close round. Second round, I know he took. Third, fourth, and fifth were all me. I know that.”
Watch the interview in its entirety:
Nico Carrillo says title is the culmination of his life’s work
Nico Carrillo came close to a world title last year but couldn’t quite get it against Nabil Anane.
He reinvented himself at featherweight and tried again. For ‘King of the North’, this massive victory is the product of never giving up.
“You see, that right here, it’s not just one fight camp. Like Liam Harrison once said, this is years and years and years of relentless effort, hard work, dedication. This is more than just gold. This is more than ONE Championship belt. This is all my efforts throughout my life,” he told ONE.
Prime Video subscribers in North America can watch the ONE Fight Night 40 replay on demand.
Edited by Aziel Karthak
