“That's what I had to do” - Nico Carrillo says he had to muster all the courage to compete among the best in ONE Championship

There's no denying that Nico Carrillo is one of the most fearless fighters on the planet. He showed that tenacity the last time he stepped between the ropes in ONE Championship.

After losing his first match in the promotion, Carrillo returned to the featherweight class and took out the legendary Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong in their Muay Thai clash at ONE Fight Night 30 at the historic Lumpinee Stadium.

Carrillo came off a shocking first-round knockout loss against Nabil Anane for the ONE interim bantamweight Muay Thai world title at ONE 170, and admitted that he second-guessed himself heading into his match against Sitthichai.

Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more

In an interview with Conor Malone, Carrillo revealed he initially doubted his chances against Sitthichai after losing to Anane.

Carrillo, however, shook off those negative thoughts the moment he stepped into the ring to knock Sitthichai out in the second round of their fight.

"Your body says, Nico, never step in a ONE Championship ring again, you're going to get embarrassed in front of millions of people, don't do it. But the only way to build this confidence and the only way to get back out there is doing the thing. And that's what I had to do. I had to get out there and put all these negative thoughts to bed," said Nico Carrillo.

The fight was a huge momentum shifter for Carrillo, as he improved to 5-1 in ONE Championship, with all five of his wins coming by way of knockout.

Carrillo also secured his spot as the fourth-ranked contender in the stacked featherweight Muay Thai division.

Watch the entire interview below:

---

Nico Carrillo embraces the silver lining of defeat

Nico Carrillo was on a high when he won his first four fights in ONE Championship, but that changed when Nabil Anane knocked him out in January this year.

As humbling as the experience was, Carrillo said it was necessary to further improve as a fighter and a person.

Carrillo said in the same interview with Conor Malone:

"Change has to happen. It's the only way to grow as a person. In victory or defeat. It doesn't matter what you do. It can be in fighting, in work, in relationships - you are going to fail at things in life."

Follow One Championship News, Schedule & Results at Sportskeeda.

Edited by Tejas Rathi