“Highest highs and the lowest lows” - Nico Carrillo reflects on his rollercoaster ride from bantamweight to featherweight

By Jake Foley

Modified Apr 12, 2025 05:22 GMT

Nico Carrillo reflected on the "highest high and lowest lows" he's recently endured in his fighting career.

Over the last four months, Carrillo suffered his first ONE Championship loss against Nabil Anane, moved up to featherweight, and knocked out a top contender, Sitthichai, in his new division.

Carrillo's latest win, a second-round knockout against Sitthichai, earned him a $50,000 performance bonus and erased any doubt about his world title potential.

'King of the North' spoke with the South China Morning Post and had this to say about the rollercoaster of emotions he's endured in 2025:

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"It’s crazy when you say the highest highs and the lowest lows. You can’t really describe how high it can take you but how low it can take you until you feel it. And trust me, it is the lowest of lows, but the highest of highs."

Nico Carrillo credited his first-round knockout loss against Nabil Anane to a horrific weight cut. The 26-year-old vowed never to endure the same experience, leading to him moving up to the featherweight division.

The replay of ONE Fight Night 30, including Carrillo's impressive featherweight debut against Sitthichai, can be seen for free by North American and Canadian viewers with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.

Watch Carrillo's entire interview with the South China Morning Post below:

Potential opponents for Nico Carrillo's next fight

Nico Carrillo's knockout at ONE Fight Night 30 didn't earn him a spot in the featherweight Muay Thai rankings. Nonetheless, the Scottish striker proved he's a force to be reckoned with in the division.

Carrillo's next fight should be against another top-ranked contender. Number one-ranked Superbon will be focused on his kickboxing world title unification bout against Masaaki Noiri.

Therefore, Carrillo could be matched up against number four-ranked Shadow, number three-ranked Jo Nattawut, or number two-ranked Bampara Kouyate.

Although it's unconfirmed by ONE, a potential matchup between Carrillo and Nattawut would guarantee fireworks for any major event.

Meanwhile, the ONE featherweight Muay Thai king, Tawanchai, doesn't have a clear-cut opponent for his next fight. Kouyate could be chosen after securing consecutive wins against Nattawut and Luke Lessei.

Watch Carrillo's knockout against Sitthichai below:

About the author

Jake Foley is a journalist at Sportskeeda, specializing in covering all forms of combat sports, including MMA, Boxing, Kickboxing, and Muay Thai. His passion is ignited by the exceptional fusion of physical and mental skills demanded by world-class fighters in these sports. Jake is captivated by the intricate mix of fierce determination and a modest mindset exhibited by athletes in these disciplines. He also finds the atmosphere of major championships, like the epic clash between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor, truly unparalleled.

Jake has earned his UFC credentials to cover the major events for Sportskeeda and has conducted several interviews.

Jake supports various teams across several professional sports, including the Las Vegas Raiders, Inter Miami, Norwich City, Miami Marlins, and Las Vegas Golden Knights. The sports moment Jake will never forget is Jon Jones dismantling Vladimir Matyushenko.

Since joining the SportsKeeda team, Jake has written 400 articles covering several MMA promotions, including the UFC and ONE Championship. He continues to work hard to maintain his journalistic integrity and tell the stories of fighters worldwide.

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Edited by C. Naik