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Nico Carrillo ended 2023 on the biggest high of his career with an upset of a certified legend of the sport.
At ONE Friday Fights 46, the rising bantamweight Muay Thai contender faced the biggest possible test that someone in his position could be met with.
Nong-O Hama was looking to bounce back from having his dominant title reign brought to a sudden halt by Jonathan Haggerty earlier in the year and beating the new blood in the division was the perfect way to do that.
In the end, the size, speed and power of the Scotsman proved too much for the vast experience of a true legend of the sport as Carrillo got the finish in the second round.
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Having faced some adversity during the contest, ‘King of the North’ reflected that he knew he would be able to stop his opponent.
Nico Carrillo told ONE Championship that the finish was a matter of when and not if:
“It was just a matter of time; he took some big shots from me, so it was just a matter of time. I knew that one of them would get him out of there.”
ONE Championship fans that missed or want to relive the action from ONE Friday Fights 46 can watch the event back via the on-demand replay available at watch.onefc.com
Nico Carrillo passed the biggest test of his career with flying colors
Some good shots landed by the former champion weren’t enough to stop the rapid rise of Nico Carrillo in the bantamweight division.
Having stopped the man that dominated the division for such a long time, there remains no other tests in the path of the Scotsman.
Fighting for the bantamweight Muay Thai world championship is the only logical step after proving himself against Nong-O and with that brings an even bigger fight.
Two-sport world champion Jonathan Haggerty is one of the only fighters in the promotion that can claim to have had a better year than Carrillo.
A clash between the Brit and the Scot in 2024 will be an absolutely massive affair between two lethal finishers, who both believe they’re the best in the world.
