Nico Carrillo battled demons en route to victory versus Sitthichai at ONE Fight Night 30

Scottish striking star Nico Carrillo felt a weight lifted off his shoulders this past weekend as he made a ceremonious return to action at ONE Fight Night 30: Kryklia vs. Knowles.

The #3-ranked bantamweight Muay Thai contender made his featherweight Muay Thai debut on Friday, April 4, taking out #5-ranked featherweight Muay Thai contender Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong in the second round at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

Carrillo last competed at ONE 170 in January, where he suffered a first-round knockout loss to ONE interim bantamweight Muay Thai king Nabil Anane. The moment marked his first defeat in ONE Championship, and he responded emphatically.

So when Sitthichai fell and the bell sounded, “King of the North” felt a surge of excitement rush through his body.

“This victory means more to me than any victory I’ve had in my full career. This is bigger than when I beat Nong-O, when I beat Muangthai. This is bigger than any of that because I came back from a loss, and I was fighting some serious demons in January. I completely lost myself,” he said.

“I lost a lot of confidence, and I’m so grateful to ONE Championship [they] allowed me to come back, to right that wrong. And I’m just so happy and pleased with myself that I kept all the demons at bay, all the voices in my head that were scared, and I didn’t want to feel that feeling again.”

Nico Carrillo happy to enjoy the ride in featherweight Muay Thai journey

Nico Carrillo is taking a much different route to the mountaintop in the featherweight division.

When he debuted in the bantamweight Muay Thai bracket, he was hellbent on winning the gold. So much so that nothing else mattered.

But having just moved to the featherweight realm, Carrillo has realized that time is on his side. He’s now aware that it’s about the journey, not the destination. So he’s happy to face all comers.

“Whatever ONE Championship offers me. I’m sure it’ll be the right fight. I’ll be ready to take that,” he said.

“Everybody above me is such an amazing fight for me, and I’m sure ONE Championship will make the right decision, and who’s next for me, and I’ll be ready for it.”