“It works until it doesn’t” - Nico Carrillo reflects on his roller coaster career in the bantamweight Muay Thai ranks

Scottish striker Nico Carrillo enjoyed his time in the bantamweight division, but he said it was time for him to change lane and carve his path as a featherweight.

The 'King of the North' opened up about it in an interview with combat sports journalist Nick Atkin ahead of his ONE featherweight debut in the 155-pound division at ONE Fight Night 30: Kryklia vs. Knowles on Prime Video on April 4 at the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

Carrillo highlighted that he did well in his bantamweight campaign, including earning a world title shot in his last match, and he has no regrets moving up in weight, saying:

"Well, I did end up getting the title shot, didn’t I? So, I wouldn’t say I was looking too far ahead, because I did get the title shot. I earned it. I defended the one spot, but unfortunately for me, like I said, it works until it doesn’t, and I would just go back to that. It was just a disaster in the end, and that’s unfortunate for me."

Watch the interview below:

In his last match in January, Nico Carrillo vied for the interim bantamweight Muay Thai belt against Algerian-Thai phenom Nabil Anane. While he was a favorite to win the contest, he instead found himself absorbing an upset first-round TKO loss.

Following the defeat, Carrillo said he came to the realization that bantamweight may no longer be suitable for him as he has been having difficulty making weight, affecting his effectivity in matches.

In his featherweight debut at ONE Fight Night 30, Nico Carrillo will be going up against veteran Thai fighter Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong.

ONE Fight Night 30: Kryklia vs. Knowles is available for free to North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.

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Nico Carrillo admits to being in a bad place mentally following loss to Nabil Anane

Nico Carrillo admitted to being in a bad place mentally following the upset loss he was dealt by Nabil Anane back in January. However, he said he is moving on, beginning with his featherweight debut this week at ONE Fight Night 30.

The Glasgow, Scotland native shared what he had to go through following his first-round TKO defeat to Anane, telling Bloody Elbow in an interview:

"And, you know, I was in a bad place mentally. And the only way to get out, the only way for me at least, was to get out of that hole, and get back into the winner’s column. And that’s the reason it was such a short turnaround."

His process of moving on has taken him next in a battle against Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong at ONE Fight Night 30, where is confident of putting on a better and winning performance.