“I was playing Snakes and Ladders” - Nico Carrillo glad to start from scratch in new featherweight journey at ONE Fight Night 30

A new division means a fresh start for Nico Carrillo.

The Scottish knockout machine returns to his old weight class when he takes on the legendary Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong in a featherweight Muay Thai clash at the loaded ONE Fight Night 30 on Friday at the historic Lumpinee Stadium.

The match will be the first time Carrillo steps into the featherweight division since his ONE Championship debut against Furkan Karabag in April 2023.

In an interview with the promotion, Carrillo said he felt he operated at such an unsustainable pace when wreaking havoc in the bantamweight Muay Thai class.

He detailed that he was zeroed in on the ONE bantamweight Muay Thai throne without taking the time to pause and enjoy his spoils for a moment.

"I was so focused on getting the gold at bantamweight that I’m in no rush here now. I was playing Snakes and Ladders before, where I zoomed to the top," said Nico Carrillo.

After his knockout victory over Karabag, 'King of the North' moved down to 145 pounds and racked up three straight KOs against Muangthai PK Saenchai, former ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world champion Nong-O Hama, and Saemapetch Fairtex.

That string of wins ultimately led Carrillo to face Nabil Anane for the ONE interim bantamweight Muay Thai world title at ONE 170 in January this year.

Carrillo's momentum, however, was put to a stop when he fell to Anane via first-round technical knockout.

The 26-year-old now looks to rediscover his dominance at 155 pounds against one of the most decorated strikers of this generation.

Sitthichai, the fourth-ranked featherweight Muay Thai contender, held multiple world titles from Glory, Kunlun, and Lumpinee Stadium.

ONE Fight Night 30 is available live and free to all Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.

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Nico Carrillo ready to blast through the featherweight Muay Thai division

Nico Carrillo is determined to put the featherweight Muay Thai class on notice at ONE Fight Night 30.

After a difficult weight cut in his last fight, Carrillo returned to 155 pounds, hoping to rediscover his terrifying aura.

In an interview with ONE Championship, Carrillo said:

"But if they think they’ve seen the best of me, it’s yet to come. I’m going to be so much bigger, stronger, and more powerful at this weight. It’s frightening.”