Nico Carrillo admits he almost quit Muay Thai before ‘dream’ call from ONE Championship: “It was just up from there”

Scottish striking machine Nico Carrillo was on the brink of taking a drastic turn in his career just before he joined ONE Championship.

The Deachkalek Muay Thai Academy superstar strapped the four-ounce gloves for the very first time at ONE Friday Fights 13 in April 2023. As one of the finest knockout artists from the United Kingdom, he instantly displayed his show-stopping power with a ferocious third-round TKO of Turkish slugger Furkan Karabag.

Just two months later, he put another highly-regarded opponent to sleep—multi-time Muay Thai world champion Muangthai PK Saenchai—to gain a life-changing US$100,000 contract to secure a spot on the main roster of the world's largest martial arts organization.

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He has since amassed another trio of statement highlight-reel victories against former ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world champion Nong-O Hama, Saemapetch Fairtex, and Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong, and he couldn't be more grateful for the chance to ply his trade on the global stage.

"Amazing, amazing. [To get the contract from ONE Championship] that was a dream for me, you know what I mean. My passion was always Muay Thai. It was always for the love of the sport," the 26-year-old Told Conor Malone in a recent interview, before shedding light on how close he was to pursuing a new discipline in his career. "There was a time just before I got signed to ONE where I proposed to my fiancé and then just got a house and stuff, and it was like, you've been doing this for the love of the sport for so long, you need to start getting paid now. And I almost went into MMA, started doing wrestling and jiu-jitsu and stuff because I was just so fed up of waiting."

Thankfully, Nico Carrillo's insane knockout power has turned him into a fan favorite under the ONE banner. Looking back at it all, 'King of the North' admits that he's pleased that his hard work has been recognized by the promotion.

"I was already a three-time world champion. I'd beat everybody in the domestic European scene–only thing for me left to do was get to ONE Championship, and they just weren't giving me the call. And so I started wrestling and doing stuff like that, and then I got the call from ONE Championship, and it was like, right, back to Muay Thai, what I love to do. And then it was just up from there," Nico Carrillo continued.

Watch his full interview with Conor Malone here:

As the No.4-ranked contender in the featherweight Muay Thai division, 'King of the North' is fast closing in on another shot at a ONE world title.

Though he suffered a loss to Nabil Anane at ONE 170 during their ONE interim bantamweight Muay Thai world title joust this past January, the Scotsman has not lost any motivation to work his way back into the world title picture at featherweight.

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Nico Carrillo is ready to take on anyone in ONE Championship

In a separate interview with the South China Morning Post's Andrew Whitelaw, 'King of the North' revealed he won't be too picky as he seeks his second victim in the loaded featherweight Muay Thai division.

Nico Carrillo is out to build on his successful debut in the division when the time comes, and his weapons of destruction are ready to wreak havoc once more. The Glaswegian warrior and No.4-ranked featherweight Muay Thai contender shared:

"I'm not even trying to call anybody out. I'm sure that ONE Championship will make the right decision. They'll make the right fight when the time comes. I'm sure they want me back."

Fight fans who missed Nico Carrillo's highlight-reel win over Sitthichai can watch the full fight here:

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Edited by C. Naik