Nico Carrillo fights for redemption in ONE Championship featherweight title bout against Shadow live on Sky Sports

When Nico Carrillo steps into the ring at Bangkok's legendary Lumpinee Stadium in the early hours of Saturday morning, the Scottish striker will do so with a clarity of purpose forged through failure.

13 months have passed since the Glasgow native tasted defeat in his first world championship opportunity, a setback that forced him to reassess not merely the result itself, but the weight class and approach that would best serve his ambitions.

Now, armed with hard-earned perspective and a renewed sense of discipline, Carrillo stands on the precipice of redemption.

In the early hours of Saturday morning, the "King of the North" will challenge the hometown hero, Shadow Singha Mawynn, for the ONE Interim featherweight Muay Thai world championship, live on Sky Sports Mix from 2am on Saturday morning.

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The opportunity came about when reigning ONE featherweight Muay Thai world champion Tawanchai PK Saenchai broke his leg last December. Instead of stalling the bustling division, ONE Championship has decided to keep moving it forward - and the Scotsman has the chance to reap all the benefits.

Carrillo arrives at this juncture having demolished his competition since returning to featherweight, a division where he has looked reborn. His stoppage victories over seven-time world champion Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong and American contender Luke Lessei demonstrated both his knockout power and a striker operating at his natural weight.

The move up from bantamweight, where he fell short against Nabil Anane in their interim title clash in January 2025, proved transformative, and Carrillo credits a fundamental shift in mentality for his resurgence.

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"Motivation comes and it's gone in the blink of an eye. Motivation's nothing. It's discipline that keeps me going. It's consistency that keeps me going. Motivation is there one day, gone the next," Carrillo said.

"It's the discipline that gets you up out of bed. It's the discipline that gets you in the gym. It's the discipline that gets you through the sessions. So, I ain't a motivated person. I'm a disciplined person."

That philosophy has been tested throughout a gruelling fight camp in Phuket, Thailand. Carrillo has been training at Bangtao Muay Thai & MMA alongside his five-year-old Springer spaniel, Cali.

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Yet unlike previous preparations, the 27-year-old has learned from past mistakes, adopting a more measured approach rather than pushing himself to his breaking point in every session.

"I would say I'm training smarter. I always train hard, in every camp. However, some camps I ran myself into the ground. Some camps I perhaps neglected certain parts of training, like having full days just working on defense, because my mindset is always go, go, go. Always need to push myself to extremes," he said.

"This camp, we started really far out. Some days we're not going as hard, and we're just working on defensive stuff and drills. So yeah, I'd say [I'm training] smarter, definitely."

That approach will be tested by Shadow, a former Rajadamnern Stadium world champion who has been near flawless in Muay Thai competition since joining ONE Championship and owns an 81-14 record.

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Following a tough promotional debut in February 2024, the Thai found his rhythm, recently dispatching living legend Sitthichai and WMC world champion Bampara Kouyate. Carrillo harbours immense respect for his opponent's all-round skillset.

"Shadow's just all-round good. He's good at everything. He was obviously a Rajadamnern champion before he came to ONE. So, he's very accomplished," the Glasgow native said. "He had a bit of a rocky start when he came to ONE Championship, and then found his feet, and he's just been on the same kind of trajectory as myself."

For Carrillo, the interim gold represents far more than personal vindication. Since his defeat to Anane, the Scottish fighter married his long-term partner last June, and he views the championship as a shared triumph for all those who have supported him through the darker moments.

"If I win this belt, it's a victory for everyone who's been involved in this journey," he said. "It's a victory for my wife, my coach, my team, sponsors from years ago - everyone who believed in this dream. This moment is for all of us."

Watch Carrillo vs Shadow live on Sky Sports Mix from 2am on Saturday morning