“I just need to do whatever I need to do” - Martin Nguyen says he shouldn’t fall into Garry Tonon’s BJJ traps at ONE 165

Garry Tonon is one of the most lethal grapplers, and Martin Nguyen knows one wrong step could cost him either a limb or his windpipe.

The two featherweight MMA stars will meet in a crucial junction at ONE 165: Superlek vs. Takeru on January 28 at Ariake Arena in Tokyo.

Nguyen, a former ONE featherweight and lightweight MMA world champion, is ranked third in the division he once ruled, while Tonon is number one on the ladder.

Heading into this pivotal matchup, Nguyen told From The Stands that avoiding Tonon’s ground game will be essential in the fight.

Martin Nguyen said:

“I just need to do whatever I need to do to prevent his grappling from excelling in the fight and taking over the fight through my fight experience and my striking from there.”

Tonon is one of the most fearsome submission specialists in MMA, and the BJJ legend has a litany of submission wins under his belt. ‘The Lion Killer’ has an absurd 88.89 percent finish rate, with five of his eight wins coming by way of submission.

Nguyen, however, is one of the most versatile fighters in the promotion. Although a natural striker with eight knockout wins, Nguyen also holds two submission scalps in ONE Championship.

One of his two submission wins came at the expense of a young Christian Lee, who now holds the ONE lightweight and welterweight MMA world titles.

ONE 165 is available on pay-per-view at watch.onefc.com.

Watch Nguyen's entire interview below:

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Martin Nguyen shoots down idea of trilogy fight against Christian Lee

Although he and Christian Lee share a deep history, Martin Nguyen isn’t keen on having a third match with the two-division world champion.

Lee is already at his perfect division of lightweight while also having the frame to operate at welterweight. Nguyen, meanwhile, has no plans of leaving the featherweight division.

In an interview with the South China Morning Post, Nguyen said there’s no need for him and Lee to square up at a trilogy match:

“I feel like Christian's a great guy man. I feel like if I were to fight Christian, it would most probably be down at featherweight, where it all began, you know, making a trilogy at featherweight. But I don't feel like Christian is making that weight anytime soon, and, I like Christian. I don't want to fight him. So leave that in the past.”

Watch Nguyen's interview below: