“I wasn’t ready to die” – Nico Carrillo survived a near-death experience to reach the summit

Nico “King of the North” Carrillo is another shining example of how martial arts can transform a young person’s life outlook.

The Scottish star is now the No. 1 contender in ONE’s bantamweight Muay Thai ranks, and he hopes to punch his ticket to a world title with a victory over Saemapetch Fairtex at ONE Fight Night 23 on Prime Video on Friday July the 5th.

However, things could have been very different for Carrillo had he not found Muay Thai and his outlook changed due to a near-death experience.

Before his return to the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, learn how the ‘King of the North’ fought his way to a better future.

Growing up in Glasgow

Carrillo was born and raised in the Scotstoun area of Glasgow, Scotland, which has one of the highest levels of deprivation in the country.

Things weren’t easy for his single mother, but she did her best to keep her young son from experiencing life’s difficulties.

Carrillo explained:

“It was really tough where I grew up. I live in a nicer neighborhood now, about 15 minutes away, but I’m never too far from my roots.

“I can’t complain too much about my education. I didn’t have a father. My mother raised me with my grandmother. They raised me the best they could with what they had. I always had cooked meals on the table and a place to come home to.

Carrillo’s mother knew that living on the streets in her neighborhood could have negative consequences. So she did her best to keep her son on the straight and narrow.

Although he still found ways to cause trouble as many young boys do, it is likely that his discipline kept him from straying further off the beaten path.

The Scottish fighter said:

“Even though we lived in a pretty mean place, my mother was probably stricter with me than all of my friends’ mothers and parents combined.

“I still did some things, but my mother was very strict. I always had to go home earlier than all my friends until I started having a little more fun.

“Muay Thai definitely saved my life”

Carrillo did not have a lifelong obsession with fighting, preferring football in his youth, but he tried his hand at boxing and found an innate affinity with the sport.

Naturally bossy, he could get the better of more experienced people in the gym, although it never fully captured his attention.

He recalled:

“My first exhibition took place at the age of 12. I started going to a boxing gym, although very irregularly. I might have been there 10 times in the space of two years. But every time I went there, they put me in a fight and I always got the better of some guys.

“I think I was just pretty good with my hands from a young age. But I never took it seriously. Back when I played football, it was my first love. I’ve been playing it my whole life, but I felt like combat sports were creeping into my life more and more.

At 15, the “King of the North” discovered Muay Thai and it immediately felt different.

From his first class, Carrillo knew this sport was for him. He caught the bug and spent most of his free time at the gym, away from most of the trouble outside those four walls.

He said:

“I remember the smell and I remember the atmosphere. I remember the buzz I felt after training. That day, I said to myself, this is what I want to do with the rest of my life.

“I fell in love with it more and more every day and I had no trouble being consistent about boxing.

“Muay Thai definitely saved my life. It put me on a different trajectory than all my friends at the time. If I were still with certain people, I often wonder where I would be and what I would have become.

A near-death experience

Even though Carrillo’s competitive Muay Thai career kept him out of trouble on the streets, he still found time to hang out with his friends like any young teenage man.

However, he had a cruel reminder of how quickly things can deteriorate if he lets himself get caught up in her.

Although he tried to do the right thing by defending his friends at a party when he was 18, the “King in the North” felt the near-fatal repercussions of revenge when he was stabbed during of a retaliatory attack.

Carrillo revealed:

“I was just out with my friends, like any boys would be. We were at a club and a guy was causing trouble and fighting with some of my younger friends. He didn’t know I was trained and could defend myself. I beat him. A few months later, I ran into him again and picked up where he left off.

“He pulled out a military knife and stabbed me before I knew it. I looked down and a waterfall of blood was coming out of my leg. Three seconds had passed and there must have been a liter of blood on the floor.

“I received help and was rushed to hospital. But as I was going there, my lights were going out. I remember that every time I closed my eyes, I felt warm, comfortable and tired.

“The next thing I knew I got a big slap in the face from the person I was with, telling me to stay awake. So I think I must have died because I felt at peace every time I closed my eyes.

Besides the literal slap, it was also a metaphorical slap for the young man.

Carrillo knows he could have died in the street or bled to death on the way to the hospital, and he realized it was never worth getting involved in violence outside of the ring.

This helped him focus on what really mattered and made him even more dedicated to his Muay Thai journey.

The “King in the North” said:

“To this day, it is by far the scariest thing I have ever experienced in my life. Because at that moment I knew it was happening and I wasn’t ready to die.

“All I could think about was two things: my fiancée because she wasn’t there, so I was telling the person I was with to tell my wife I love her. And the other thing was that I hadn’t achieved everything I wanted yet. I was thinking of the rotating ones.

“It definitely changed me. I have never found myself in another situation like this. 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 of ego and fighting with people.

Ready to achieve greatness

Carrillo already had tremendous success in his Muay Thai career, winning several titles in the amateur ranks and competing professionally during his travels to Thailand.

However, after a brush with death and the determination it gave him, the Glasgow native rose through the ranks to eventually reach the major leagues.

“King of the North” always believed that greatness was his calling, and when the opportunity presented itself to participate in ONE, he left his career as an electrician to make it a reality.

Now that the ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Title is within reach, he is one step closer to achieving what he believes is his destiny.

Carrillo said:

“The reason I left my job was because I felt like I was meant to do more. I think everything is already written. And for me, I was never meant to be a 9 to 5 guy. I was put here to do something spectacular.

“I was meant to be my own person and Muay Thai is the embodiment of that. Every decision is up to me.