Nico Carrillo explains how ultra-running provided mental toughness to defeat Nong-O Hama

Originally posted on MMA Sucka | By Jeremy Brand | Last updated Jun 19, 2025 2:22 PM ET

One look at #4-ranked featherweight Muay Thai contender Nico Carrillo’s social media will tell you all you need to know about his mentality. The Scottish star is as intense as they come, and that mindset has allowed him to overcome the toughest of adversities throughout his competitive career.

It certainly assisted Nico Carrillo in overcoming former ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion Nong O-Hama in their bantamweight Muay Thai clash back at ONE Friday Fights 46 in December 2023.

Nong-O unforgivingly chopped at the legs of the Scotsman from the first bell. It quickly caused his legs to suffer duress. But the 26-year-old Nico Carrillo credited the hard miles of ultra-running for remaining on his feet and supplying him with his never-say-die attitude.

Nico Carrillo Credits Runner’s Mentality as Inspiration for Besting Nong-O

“The only reason I was still standing on my legs is because I had hill legs. I had runner’s legs. Like, see in Muay Thai, you don’t really get sore legs. But running is where I get really strong, strong legs. Yeah. And that’s how I could take the pain, because I run a thousand-foot hill and I do repetitions up and down it, right, with hill reps every Thursday morning,” he said.

“We do it. The pain I get some days from doing that is more than that I experienced when I was in the Nong-O fight. It was just like, ‘Right, you’re back on the hill. That’s it.’

“Nothing was going to stop me. I had a wee reset, you know what I mean. I had to reset a little bit. I used my leg, switched stance, a new plan, and I went out and I got the job done. I was never going to stop or quit.”

Whether he’s in camp or enjoying his downtime, Nico Carrillo is never happier than when he’s on his feet and up on the move. Part of his lifestyle consists of either hill running or ultra-running. Two arduous exercises that can push a man’s will to the limit.

Nico Carrillo Favors Longer Runs

The legendary Vince Lombardi famously said fatigue makes cowards of us all, and Nico Carrillo certainly shares that sentiment. While it’s provided him with a rock-solid mindset, he believes it shows the true core of someone’s character.

“I like the kind of long-distance running. It impacts my Muay Thai zero. It does nothing for my Muay Thai. It’s actually a disadvantage because I’m working slow twitch muscles and I need to be super explosive. But the good thing about it is that you can fake a lot of things in life. You can fake how much money you’ve got, you can fake if you’re cool,” Carrillo said.

“The one thing you can’t fake is suffering. See, when you are out in a 50-mile, 60-mile, 70-mile run and you are hurting, layers of you are stripped away and the real you comes out. And that is something that I love about ultra running – it strips you to your bare, and that’s it. You can’t fake from there on, and that’s you. Now you need to get through that at that person. That’s the real you.”