5 of Martin Nguyen's best knockouts so far

#4. World Title-clinching knockout against Marat Gafurov

Martin Nguyen suffered his first professional loss in 2015 when he met Marat Gafurov for the ONE interim featherweight world title. Considering he finished his first four opponents, Nguyen was certainly humbled to lose in under a minute to ‘Cobra’.

Like a true champion though, he battled back with four straight first-round finishes, including his masterpiece over Kazunori Yokota. He thus earned another chance to challenge Gafurov for the ONE featherweight world title. The event took place in August 2017’s ONE: Quest for Greatness in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Now more seasoned and wiser, Martin Nguyen battled back to his feet after another early takedown by the Russian to start their match. However, it didn’t exactly turn the tide in his favor, as Gafurov showed his own striking prowess.

In the second round, Nguyen fought off his rival’s takedown attempts and looked more confident on the feet.

With just under four minutes left in the round, ‘The Situ-Asian’ backpedaled from a stalking Gafurov before unleashing a lightning-quick overhand right. The thunderous blow met Gafurov’s face as he lunged for an attack and caused the world champion to fall flat on his face to the canvas.

Nguyen followed it up with a few more punches to his downed opponent before the referee stepped in to prevent any more damage to Gafurov.

Watch highlights of their epic second encounter below:

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#3. Eduard Folayang bites the dust

With the ONE featherweight world title in his possession, Martin Nguyen decided to try what no one in the promotion has done before - challenge the world champion in the weight class above him.

The odds were stacked against him, as it meant he would have to face one of the most feared strikers in the promotion, Eduard Folayang. The Filipino star was coming off four straight wins, including a knockout win over Japanese martial arts legend Shinya Aoki to win the ONE lightweight world title.

Already considered ‘The Face of Philippine MMA’, Folayang looked like he was at the peak of his powers when he defended his world title against Nguyen at ONE: Legends of the World in November 2017. It didn’t help the challenger’s cause that the event was held in front of a hostile Filipino crowd inside the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines.

As expected, their match was a truly exciting clash between two creative strikers, who allowed each other to do what they do best on their feet. While Martin Nguyen shot for a takedown towards the end of the first round, that would be the only time that the pair would find themselves battling on the ground.

Amped by the loud home crowd, ‘Landslide’ looked like he was taking control of the match with his patented spinning kicks and heavy strikes. Nguyen remained patient and studied the timing of Folayang’s spins, and after the two-minute mark of the second round, he found the right time to uncork his own signature blow - the overhand right.

The power of Nguyen’s strike, combined with Folayang’s momentum as he spun, resulted in a scary knockout that had Folayang lying flat on his back. The stunned crowd watched as Nguyen checked on a motionless Folayang. After ensuring that his fallen foe was ok, Nguyen received the ONE lightweight world title to become the first two-division world champion in ONE Championship.

Watch highlights of their historic matchup below: