“He looked a little bit in distress” - Nico Carrillo reveals moment he knew he had the victory in the bag against Sitthichai 

'King of the North' Nico Carrillo couldn't have asked for a better way to kick off his featherweight run.

In his first fight since his brutal knockout loss to Nabil Anane at ONE 170, the Scotsman stepped up against Thai legend Sitthichai and walked away with a statement win. He looked sharper, more comfortable, and clearly stronger fighting at 145 pounds - and at some point during the fight, Carrillo could tell things were tipping in his favor.

"Yeah, when I saw the cut, he looked a little bit in distress," he told ONE Championship. "And that kinda, I feel like, I think that I hit my goal from that point on."

The Nico Carrillo-Sitthichai match ended with a second-round knockout win in favor of the divisional debutante Carrillo. The 'King of the North' had the icon on the mats after one devastating body shot - completely out of the game with another one only seconds later.

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“I’m totally at peace with myself” - Nico Carrillo feels vindicated after redeeming himself against Sitthichai at ONE Fight Night 30

The loss at ONE 170 in January was tough. Carrillo admitted the harsh weight cut to bantamweight had left him drained, and the knockout only made it sting more. But instead of backing down, he recalibrated - new weight class, new focus.

And now, peace.

"And as cheesy as it sounds, I had to go feel a little bit of chaos and all that now to feel at peace. And now that I’m back in the winning column, I’m just totally at peace with myself, and life can resume for me."

One loss doesn't define a fighter. How they come back does. And for Nico Carrillo, he might have found his best self yet fighting at featherweight.

ONE Fight Night: Kyrklia vs. Knowles is available to replay with an active Prime Video subscription.