Nico Carrillo heaved a sigh of relief after making weight and passing his hydration test with ease for his featherweight Muay Thai debut this Friday, April 4.
The Scottish sensation opted to move up in weight for his upcoming assignment against Thai legend Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong at ONE Fight Night 30, emanating live in U.S. primetime from the historic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
At last Thursday's official weigh-ins, Carrillo stepped onto the scales with a sculpted physique, coming in at 153.75 pounds — just under the featherweight limit.
Shortly after, 'King of the North' took to Instagram to share his excitement and gratitude as he embarks on this new chapter in his promising career.
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Carrillo wrote:
"Weight made with ease. A new era, a new beginning. Thank you to everyone who has been part of this."
It can be recalled that Carrillo made the difficult decision to leave the bantamweight Muay Thai bracket, where he was a ranked contender, following a first-round technical knockout loss at the hands of Nabil Anane for the interim divisional crown at ONE 170 this past January.
Reflecting on the defeat, Carrillo openly acknowledged that cutting down to 145 pounds had a negative impact on his performance against Anane, describing it as a wake-up call that led him to switch weight classes.
Litmus test awaits Nico Carrillo in featherweight Muay Thai debut
Nico Carrillo may be in peak form and comfortable at featherweight, but he is up against Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong — a battle-tested veteran of the division — at ONE Fight Night 30.
Sitthichai has fought the best of the best at 155 pounds under the ONE Championship banner, including Superbon, Tawanchai PK Saenchai, Chingiz Allazov, Marat Grigorian, and Masaaki Noiri.
Beating Sitthichai will give Carrillo a stamp of approval that he's ready to take on the elite in the weight class.
ONE Fight Night 30 will air live and for free in the United States and Canada on Prime Video.