“I couldn't be any happier” - Martin Nguyen proud of his win over Kirill Gorobets in 2022

Former double-world champion Martin Nguyen is going into his next fight at ONE Fight Night 7 on Prime Video with a boost of confidence.

The Aussie veteran is clawing his way back into world title contention after experiencing a loss in his latest outing. However, he hopes to redeem himself once again against a grappling-heavy opponent in undefeated MMA fighter ‘The Cobra’ Shamil Gasanov on Feb. 24.

Utilizing the knowledge he gained from his comeback fight against Ukraine’s Kirill Gorobets last year, Nguyen is confident his wrestling skills are on par for his next challenge.

Recalling the Gorobets fight, ‘The Situ-Asian’ told ONE Championship:

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“It was just a blessing to get the win. Everything that I've worked so hard on with my coaches, the one-on-one time coming off the loss from Kim Jae Woong, I had to prove myself. I fought a bit smarter as well so everything was strategically planned and everything went well for that fight. I couldn't be any happier with my performance there.”

Resurging victorious after two back-to-back losses against top featherweight contenders Kim Jae Woong and Thanh Le spoke volumes about Nguyen’s staying power in the face of adversity. However, he faces a similar challenge again after losing his latest bout against Russian powerhouse Ilya Fremanov by knockout at ONE on Prime Video 2.

Desperate to rebuild his legacy in the featherweight division, Martin Nguyen is committed to showcasing why he’s still poised for a shot at the world title in the near future.

Watch ONE Fight Night 7 live and for free on U.S. primetime on February 24 via Amazon Prime Video.

Martin Nguyen says he’s open to rematch Thanh Lee

‘The Sitsu-Asian’ Martin Nguyen believes there’s a good chance of him and Thanh Le crossing paths again.

Former world champion Thanh Le and Nguyen had one of the most memorable world title matches in the history of the promotion. Nobody expected the fight to last as long as it did, with both fighters boasting two of the highest knockout rates in the division combined.

After a thrilling back-and-forth war, Nguyen ultimately surrendered his featherweight belt to Thanh Le by a third-round knockout. Suffice to say, fans hope they meet again after they put on an outstanding show.

Speaking to SCMP MMA on the subject, Martin Nguyen said:

“Since Thanh has lost the title, I’d say maybe 50% of my direct messages are, ‘when are you gonna fight Thanh Lee again? When are you gonna fight Thanh Lee again?’ and like, obviously, he’s so high in the rankings and I just came off a loss. And then, we have the recent call out from Garry Tonon, so there’s a lot of potential fights to happen in this featherweright division.”

Watch the full interview below:

About the author

Saray has been a part of Sportskeeda’s MMA team for the last two years and has penned over 1500 pieces so far. She extensively covers ONE Championship, reporting on disciplines like Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Muay Thai, MMA, and kickboxing. She previously spent a year working for BTC Promotions in Burlington, Ontario. She has a degree in English and was also an English Language instructor.

A former taekwondo practitioner, Saray’s favorite fighters include Khabib Nurmagomedov, Joanna Jedrzejczyk, and Demetrious Johnson.

Saray’s journey as an MMA fan began after watching Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Juliana Lima at UFC on Fox 12 in 2014. She now pushes to provide unique and accurate insights to MMA enthusiasts. Her extensive experience includes interviewing top ONE Championship athletes like Danielle Kelly and ‘Super’ Sage Northcutt via The MMA Superfan and Sportskeeda.

Outside of work, her other interests include watching the UFC, playing soccer, and blogging. And she loves being a mom.

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Edited by Dave