“This is not over until it's over” – Nico Carrillo knew he had to power on despite eating Nong-O’s mean leg kicks

At ONE Friday Fights 46, Nico Carrillo overcame the biggest test of his career to prove himself a worthy title challenger in the bantamweight Muay Thai division.

Defeating a legend and former champion in Nong-O Hama would be no easy feat, and even in victory, the Scotsman was forced to answer some difficult questions in the opening round.

‘King of the North’ had said in the lead up to the bout that he had envisioned a knockout, but the damage of his opponent’s leg kicks was starting to add up.

Nico Carrillo revealed to the South China Morning Post what was going through his mind in the opening round:

“What was going through my mind was that this is not over until it’s over. You're not going to go down with a leg kick if he knocks you clean out. There's no shame in that you're not going down with a leg kick.”

Carrillo soldiered on and made the adjustments he was told to make in between rounds, leading to a finish in the second. He said:

“So I went back to the corner and my coach said southpaw, you need to stand southpaw. So I went southpaw and I waited for the moment and I picked my shot and I got it.”

Watch the full interview below:

Nico Carrillo proved why he is so dangerous at ONE Friday Fights 46

As Nico Carrillo targets the ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world championship, you can be sure that Jonathan Haggerty will have been watching closely on fight night.

‘The General’ will have been taking in any lessons he can learn about the Scotsman’s jump-up into the elite level of the division.

Unfortunately for the defending champion, ONE Friday Fights 46 showed how dangerous Carrillo can be at any time in the fight.

All it took was one perfectly timed shot delivered with ruthless speed and power to put Nong-O out for the count.

A England versus Scotland clash for the world title in the new year will no doubt be one of the most intriguing match-ups of 2024.