Scottish fighter Nico Carrillo will make his return against Thai veteran Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong in a featherweight Muay Thai showdown at ONE Fight Night 30.
The event takes place this Saturday, April 5, at Bangkok’s iconic Lumpinee Stadium, marking Carrillo’s first appearance since his stunning first-round knockout loss to Nabil Anane in their ONE Interim Bantamweight Muay Thai World Title clash at ONE 170 in January.
“I was devastated. I’d never wanted the clocks to turn back so much,” Carrillo said. “The one thing I wanted to do in life at that point was turn the clocks back, and I knew I couldn’t. It broke my heart. I’ve never been as heartbroken as I was that night.”
The 26-year-old powerhouse had enjoyed a meteoric rise through ONE’s bantamweight Muay Thai division, winning four consecutive bouts by knockout to become the division’s #1-ranked contender. But his world came crashing down when Anane dropped him three times in less than three minutes.
In the weeks following that defeat, Carrillo struggled without training direction or a scheduled bout.
“When you get beat, the only thing you want to do is get right back to it,” Carrillo said. “For a few weeks, I was pulling my hair out waiting for news. I can’t just disappear to Thailand. I have responsibilities here. It just made me realize that training and fighting Muay Thai is the only thing that makes me happy.”
Now set to face the #4-ranked featherweight Muay Thai contender Sitthichai, Carrillo has made significant adjustments to his approach. He’s no longer cutting weight to make the bantamweight limit and has returned to a more complete Muay Thai skill set.
“I’ve put the lessons of loss into practice. I’m ready to show the world it was a one-off,” Carrillo said. “I’ve gone back to try and master Muay Thai and not just knock people’s heads off with my boxing.”
While his trademark power remains a key weapon, Carrillo plans to implement a more tactical approach against the highly experienced Sitthichai.
“I’m going to be more composed. I’ll be a bull in a china shop if the opportunity presents itself – that’s just killer instinct,” Carrillo said. “But I will try to be tidier by setting up things with kicks and using my full range of tools.”
Carrillo draws inspiration from adversity as he begins his campaign at featherweight.
“One of my favorite quotes that’s helped me during this time is, ‘Stars can’t shine without darkness,'” Carrillo said. “I’m going to show the world how bright of a star I will be.”