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Scotland’s Nico Carrillo faced his toughest test to date at ONE Friday Fights 46 and he overcame the hurdle with stunning results in Bangkok, Thailand.
There couldn’t be a bigger test to see what the rising bantamweight Muay Thai contender was made of than taking on the man that ruled over the division with an iron fist.
Nong-O Hama’s title run, which came to an end earlier this year, will go down in the history books as one of the best championship reigns that has ever been seen in ONE Championship.
And while the Thai icon was motivated to get back into winning ways, in the end, the size, speed and power of Carrillo proved to be too much for the hall of fame calibre legend on his return to the Circle.
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‘The King of the North’ was nothing but respectful to his opponent before and after the contest as you would expect from someone that is sharing the stage with a certified icon of Muay Thai.
During his post fight interview, Nico Carrillo urged the fans in the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium to shower his opponent with praise and gratitude:
“The legend, Nong-O! Everybody, clap your hands, this man is a legend! Thank you so much for letting me share the ring with you. I have watched you since I was a child. Thank you.”
Fans eager to relive an explosive night of action can catch the entire ONE Friday Fights 46 card via replay on-demand at watch.onefc.com.
Nico Carrillo’s stock rose after sharing the Circle with a true legend
There was already plenty of hype surrounding Nico Carrillo given his previous performances inside the Circle throughout 2023.
Just by sharing the spotlight with a legend of the sport like Nong-O, the Scotsman will have undoubtedly benefited massively in terms of his own stock and experience.
Not just that, he went out there and fought toe-to-toe with one of the best to ever do it and came out on top, giving him the signature win he needed to prove himself as a title challenger.
His biggest win to date could potentially set him up for a huge title fight with the ONE bantamweight Muay Thai and kickboxing world champion Jonathan Haggerty leading into 2024.
