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First-ranked ONE bantamweight Muay Thai contender 'King of the North' Nico Carrillo of the United Kingdom is one of the very few who have been able to defeat Thai legend and former divisional king Nong-O Hama.
Despite being nearly stopped by the 37-year-old veteran in the first round, Carrillo battled back in their December 2023 encounter to win via second-round knockout.
Nong-O utilized a tremendous amount of leg kicks to chop down the taller, lankier Carrillo, arguably exposing a bit of weakness in 'King of the North'. However, Carrillo believes the experience has only made him stronger, and if anything, it has helped his overall game immensely.
Speaking to ONE Championship in a recent interview, Carrillo explained how fighting Nong-O has proven beneficial to his career.
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'King of the North' stated:
"If people think that, it will only work in my favor as I can gameplan for that. If they try and attack my legs, they’ll be getting punched right back. My game is better for fighting Nong-O. As I said, taking those kicks from him and where he kicked me, I can now utilize that against the top guys and win titles by doing so."
Will Nico Carrillo put together another stunning performance when he returns to action this weekend? Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for all the latest news and updates.
'King of the North' Nico Carrillo stakes his number one contender spot against dangerous Saemapetch Fairtex of Thailand at ONE Fight Night 23 on Prime Video
No.1-ranked bantamweight Muay Thai contender 'King of the North' Nico Carrillo is set to lock horns with no.4-ranked Saemapetch Fairtex of Thailand at ONE Fight Night 23: Ok vs. Rasulov on Prime Video.
The event broadcasts live from the historic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action live and absolutely free on Amazon Prime Video. The event airs Friday, July 5th, beginning at 8:00pm ET.
