Nico Carrillo reveals his timing and ability to counter set him up for impressive KO against Saemapetch

Nico Carrillo reveals that timing and distance management were the keys to his impressive victory over Saemapetch Fairtex.

After blowing fans away with an insane second-round knockout of Nong-O Hama in December, the ‘King of the North’ returned to the legendary Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok for a showdown with the Thai icon.

Once again, Carrillo finished off his opponent in the second stanza, scoring three consecutive knockdowns to bag his fourth-straight KO under the ONE Championship banner.

Offering some insight into his performance, Carrillo revealed that Saemapetch caught him in some of their exchanges, but once he got the timing down, it was just a matter of time.

“He caught me with it in exchanges but every time he threw it off the bat, I was just timing the distance and controlling his shots well,” Carrillo told the South China Moring Post in a post-fight interview. “That was it.”

With the win, Nico Carrillo retained his spot at the top of the bantamweight Muay Thai rankings, setting the stage for his first shot at ONE Championship gold.

Nico Carrillo ready to fly to Denver for Jonathan Haggerty vs. Superlek clash at ONE 168

At this point, the ‘King of the North’ is all but guaranteed a shot at two-sport king and reigning ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world champion Jonathan Haggerty. However, Carrillo will have to remain patient as one of the biggest clashes in ONE Championship history plays out in front of the world.

On Friday, September 6, Haggerty will put his bantamweight Muay Thai title up for grabs when he defends the belt against ‘The Kicking Machine’ Superlek at ONE 168 in Denver, Colorado.

Carrillo will likely find himself challenging the winner and he’s more than happy to make the trip to The Mile High City to face off with his next opponent in person.

“Listen, if the big boss man wants to pay for my flight to Denver, Colorado, and get me front-row seats, I would be absolutely happy to do that,” Carrillo added. “Chatri, if you want me to be there sire, I’ll be in there for sure.”

Follow this link for tickets for ONE 168: Denver on September 6 at Ball Arena.