"It was crazy" - Nico Carrillo reflects on his early days competing in the Thai circle as a teenager

Not many fans are privy to the fact that Nico Carrillo used to compete in Thailand as a teenager.

At 15 years old, Carrillo got the opportunity to travel halfway across the world to gain some real Muay Thai experience outside of his home country.

As you may know, competing in Thailand is a big deal, especially for young and aspiring martial artists like Carrillo.

Not only will you level up your skills in 'The Art of Eight Limbs', you will also learn the country's way of life, as well as admire its beautiful culture and traditions.

Looking back on his early days as a competitor with Leather'd Podcast this week, Carrillo explained how his experience in Thailand impacted him as a young teen:

"Mate, honestly, it was crazy. Such a young guy. Going over to the other side of the world. Where we could do everything, honestly. What I really loved about it was the culture change."

Although it wasn't implicitly mentioned above, the reason why Nico Carrillo continues to be a dangerous threat in his division is because of his early experience fighting Thai opponents who hailed from different schools of Muay Thai.

Possessing that familiarity is what then gives him the edge in his upcoming world title matchup with newly-minted divisional world champion Superlek Kiatmoo9.

The two dynamic superstars are set to co-headline ONE 170 on Friday, Jan. 24, 2025, at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.

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"It's quite hard to describe what it took to finally get here"- Nico Carrillo believes it's his destiny to become the new face of the bantamweight Muay Thai division

Fight fans from across the world are more than hyped up to see Superlek and Nico Carrillo engage in a full-on war this new year.

Looking back at his career, Carrillo has had some epic matches at ONE, starting with Turkey's Furkan Karabag on April 21, 2023.

The 26-year-old Scotsman picked his opposition apart round by round with unforgivable jabs and some heavy punching until Karabag couldn't defend himself in the final minute of the third round. Carrillo would later pick up three more early knockouts to secure his position as the No. 1 contender.

After finally getting his Superlek fight booked, Carrillo reached out to the fans with the following reaction on his Instagram page:

"A lifetime of hard work and mental fortitude. It's quite hard to describe what it took to finally get here."