“My life stands still without it” - Nico Carrillo says his life revolves purely around Muay Thai ahead of ONE Fight Night 30

Some fighters live Muay Thai, and then there's Nico Carrillo.

The Scottish knockout merchant is just like any other Muay Thai artist who has a deep love for the sport, but Carrillo is on another level.

In an interview with ONE Championship, Carrillo admitted that his life revolves around Muay Thai and that his fights often dictate how he goes through his daily motions.

Nico Carrillo said:

"The only thing I’ve realized is that I’m nothing without Muay Thai. My life stands still without it. Fighting is the only thing that matters in this life to me."

'King of the North' has been fighting since he was a teenager and quickly rose to prominence in the European regional circuit before finding his way to the global stage in 2023.

Carrillo made his ONE Championship debut in April 2023 and battered Furkan Karabag for the third-round stoppage victory in their featherweight Muay Thai clash.

After an explosive debut at 155 pounds, Carrillo dropped down to bantamweight and wreaked further havoc in the lighter weight class.

Carrillo racked up three straight knockout wins over Muangthai PK Saenchai, former ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world champion Nong-O Hama, and Saemapetch Fairtex.

His unstoppable run eventually earned him a shot at gold when he faced Nabil Anane for the ONE interim bantamweight Muay Thai world title at the loaded ONE 170 card in January this year.

Carrillo's momentum, however, was stopped when he lost to Anane via first-round TKO. The loss was a gut-wrenching blow for Carrillo, who was on the precipice of ONE Championship glory.

Nevertheless, Carrillo can restart his bid for Muay Thai gold, albeit in the division where he started his ONE Championship run.

Nico Carrillo returns to featherweight and takes on Thai legend Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong at the stacked ONE Fight Night 30 event on Friday at the historic 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 has all the respect in the world for Sitthichai

Sitthichai is undoubtedly one of this generation's greatest strikers, and Nico Carrillo has the utmost respect for the Thai legend.

The multi-time kickboxing and Muay Thai world champion held gold across several organizations, including Lumpinee Stadium, Glory, and Kunlun.

In the same interview with ONE Championship, Carrillo said:

"His IQ is great. He's a complete striker, who always throws punches in bunches. He's so good. I can't knock him. He's an eight-time world champion. I don't have a bad word to say about him."