Scottish Muay Thai sensation and number one-ranked contender Nico Carrillo is one of the fastest-rising superstars in the sport, but he nearly wasn’t here to show his talents on the global stage.
Ahead of his upcoming bantamweight Muay Thai fight against number-four ranked Saemapetch Fairtex at ONE Fight Night 23 on Prime Video on July 5, “The King of the North” Nico Carrillo has been reflecting on a near-death experience that he endured when he was 18 years old.
“I was just out with my friends like every lad would be. We were in a club and a guy was troublemaking, picking a fight with some of my younger friends. He didn’t know I was trained and could defend myself. I beat him up. A few months later, I bumped into him again and picked up where it left off,” he said.
“He pulled out an army knife and stabbed me before I knew it. I looked down and there was a waterfall of blood coming out of my leg. I got help from people and was rushed to the hospital. But as I was on my way there, my lights were shutting out on me. I remember every time I closed my eyes, I felt warm and cozy and tired.”
“The next thing I knew I got a big slap across the face from the person I was with, telling me to stay awake. So, I think I must’ve been dying because I felt peaceful every time I closed my eyes.”
While it’s impossible to know for sure, perhaps the lessons learned from the near tragedy played a role in the indominable spirit that Carrillo shows in the ring.
Nico Carrilo reveals how staring death in the face changed him
Nico Carrillo might be able to stamp his ticket to an all-U.K. World Title tilt with two-sport king Jonathan “The General” Haggerty if he can get the job done against Saemapetch Fairtex at ONE Fight Night 23.
Now a fully grown man at the peak of his powers, Nico Carrillo says that he did a lot of growing up in the wake of his dance with death all those years ago.
“To this day, it is by far the scariest thing I’ve ever experienced in my life. Because at that point I knew it was happening and I knew I wasn’t ready to die,” he said.
“All I could think about were two things: My fiancé because she wasn’t there, so I was telling the person I was with to tell my missus that I love her. And the other thing was that I hadn’t achieved anything that I wanted to yet. I was thinking of those on rotation.”
“It definitely changed me. I never got myself into another situation like that. I’ve been in many situations where I could have stayed and fought, but it’s better to walk away now. It totally changed my perception on ego and fighting with people.”
Now, Nico Carrillo keeps his fighting inside the ring, and it turns out he’s pretty good at it. The 25-year-old surged to the top of the rankings with three crushing knockouts so far in his ONE career.