Nico Carrillo Outlines Next 12 Months As Undisputed Champ

Nico Carrillo has been promoted from interim titleholder to undisputed ONE Featherweight Muay Thai World Champion after Tawanchai PK Saenchai vacated the belt to focus on recovering from a leg injury. Carrillo returns to action against Chinese newcomer Zhou Jiaqiang in a kickboxing contest at ONE Fight Night 46 on August 14 in Bangkok, airing live on Prime Video.

Tawanchai captured the crown at ONE 161 in 2022 by edging Petchmorakot across five rounds. His reign featured signature victories over Jamal Yusupov and two wins against Superbon, building a 10-3 record as one of the division's most dominant champions. Carrillo earned his interim belt the hard way, bringing a 29-4 record into his title shot before outworking Shadow Mavinn across five rounds at ONE Fight Night 40 in February.

Carrillo's Timeline For Title Defenses And MMA Move

"It's about time," Carrillo told BJ Penn. "Tawanchai broke his leg a couple of months before Shadow, and I fought for the interim belt, which, in my opinion, should have been made for the undisputed belt anyway. Honestly, for me, I became undisputed that night when I defeated Shadow."

Moving straight into kickboxing after inheriting undisputed gold fits a fighter who has built his reputation on accepting the toughest challenges available. Carrillo has scored knockouts in six of his seven promotional appearances, including a finish of former ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion Nong-O Hama. A victory over Zhou would position him to pursue two-sport championship status, adding kickboxing hardware to the featherweight Muay Thai throne he now holds outright.

The Scotsman has already mapped out an ambitious defense schedule for the remainder of 2026 and into next year. "First things first, when I get this kickboxing fight out the way, I want to defend my belt in November," he said. "Then, hopefully defend my belt in February or March next year, too. Maybe I'll even eye an MMA debut in April or May next year."

ONE Fight Night 46 streams live from Lumpinee Stadium on Friday, August 14 in U.S. primetime.

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• BJPenn — Nico Carrillo outlines next 12 months as undisputed ONE Featherweight World Champion: ‘First things first’