Nico Carrillo stakes his claim as “hardest, meanest puncher” in featherweight division

Nico “King of the North” Carrillo walked into ONE Fight Night 40 on February 13 as the featherweight Muay Thai division’s most dangerous knockout threat. He walked out as ONE Interim Featherweight Muay Thai World Champion. The Scottish striker defeated Thai slugger Shadow Singha Mawynn via unanimous decision over five rounds at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, with a fourth-round knockdown courtesy of his trademark right hand proving the decisive moment.

The title was a long time coming. All six of Carrillo’s previous ONE Championship victories came via stoppage, five of them in the second round. The finishing rate isn’t a product of any single weapon — it stems from an explosiveness the 27-year-old Glasgow native believes separates him from everyone else in the division.

“I’m simply more explosive than all these guys. The four-ounce gloves are a big help, too. Most people assume I’m just cruising past everyone with something gifted to me, but I still work very hard to make sure my power is vicious,” Carrillo said. “Being explosive takes so much out of your gas tank, and to try and be that explosive with the same knockout power across three rounds — three minutes each round — is not easy. But I can do that, and that’s a product of my hard work.”

Nico Carrillo explains why his hands are his license to kill

The path to understanding his own power wasn’t a single defining moment for Carrillo. It built gradually — round by round, knockout by knockout — across the European circuit and into ONE Championship’s global stage. Even after five hard rounds against Shadow, where a finish proved elusive, his belief in what those fists can do never wavered. He knows that one lapse in concentration from an opponent is all he needs.

As far as Carrillo is concerned, no one at featherweight — across Muay Thai or kickboxing — hits anywhere close to him. He’ll concede one name. Just one.

“I am the hardest, meanest puncher in the entire division. But if I had to pick someone, maybe it’s Marat Grigorian. That’s it. No one else can match me in terms of raw knockout power,” Carrillo said.

Every opponent who has shared the ring with Carrillo arrives with a game plan built around surviving his boxing. Some manage it for a round or two. Carrillo has thought about what that foreknowledge does to a fighter before the opening bell — and his answer is typically direct. He doesn’t view it as a burden. He views it as an advantage, then quickly sets it aside.

“I feel like whenever you’re in there, in the ring, your hands are your license to kill. So, I feel it’s just the best option. I know I have some power in my hands, so why not just use it right away? I’m always confident that no one can stay up once they take damage from my fists,” Carrillo said.

“I don’t think of it that way, but I suppose it does kind of give me an advantage in some ways, like they’re going to show fear in there. But to be honest, I don’t really think of it like that. I’m always prepared for everyone to be the best versions of themselves, and I’ll be the best version of myself. And the valiant one always wins.”