Nico Carrillo’s fourth straight finish earns him $50K bonus at ONE Fight Night 23

Nico Carrillo’s gamesmanship and appetite for a finish stood out from the rest of his peers at ONE Fight Night 23 on Prime Video last Friday, July 5. 

The Scottish striker earned himself a $50,000 performance bonus from ONE Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong for his second-round demolition of fourth-ranked Saemapetch Fairtex in their bantamweight Muay Thai match.

“I’m over the moon to get the bonus, and I’m motivated by goals. But, obviously, when you’re good at something, I believe that you should get paid for it as well,” the top-ranked contender said.

“So I’m very happy about that. What [am] I’m going to use it for? Honestly, I just really like that [sitting] in the bank. I’m trying to save my money, stack it up.”

From the onset, “King of the North” exhibited dominance. He unleashed a relentless barrage of powerful punches and crushing knees. Those shots had his Thai opponent reeling around the ring.

Saemapetch tried to retaliate. But Carrillo’s striking proved too much for the Fairtex representative.

The decisive moment came in the second round when Carrillo floored Saemapetch with a perfectly executed left hook.

Not content with just one knockdown, he proceeded to drop Saemapetch two more times, securing a decisive victory by technical knockout.

This win marked Carrillo’s fourth consecutive stoppage in the promotion. With it, he tightened his grip on the number one spot in the bantamweight Muay Thai rankings.

Nico Carrillo wants Jonathan Haggerty next

Nico Carrillo has made no secret of his desire to face Jonathan Haggerty. 

But he has to wait a while as Haggerty is scheduled to defend the ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Title against Superlek Kiatmoo9 at ONE 168: Denver on September 6.

The anticipation for a potential showdown between the two has been building, fueled by their back-and-forth exchanges on social media.

Carrillo hopes to be the one to dethrone Haggerty and claim the belt for himself.

“I would prefer to fight Haggerty,” Carrillo said. “Not because he’s better or anything. I would just like to be the one to take the belt from him.”