“I think the fans will win in this case” - Martin Nguyen says either he gets submitted or Shamil Gasanov gets knocked out

ONE featherweight contender Martin Nguyen knows the stakes are high in his next fight.

Set to fight undefeated Russian Shamil Gasanov (13-0) on February 24, 'The Situ-Asian' will look to right the ship to launch himself back into world title contention.

In a recent interview with the South China Morning Post, Martin Nguyen spoke honestly about the fight, believing a finish is inevitable:

"I feel like this is a classic case of a mixed martial artist versus a grappler/wrestler. I think the fans will win in this case. You’re even going to see me submitted or dominated on the ground or you get to see this guy get completely KO’ed and go from there."

Watch the full interview below:

Nguyen’s prediction holds some weight from past results: of Nguyen’s fourteen wins, he’s won nine of them by knockout or technical knockout. In Shamil Gasanov’s unblemished thirteen fights, he’s submitted eight opponents.

Being a former world champion at ONE Championship, the 33-year-old Martin Nguyen knows he has it in him to re-enter that space. Fully aware of Gasanov’s expertise on the mat, he has likely prepared his attack to avoid the ground at all costs.

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Martin Nguyen touts his championship experience as an advantage over Shamil Gasanov

What many newer fans of ONE Championship may not realize is that Martin Nguyen once sat atop the promotion’s featherweight division. Not only that, but he also became the first man to hold a world title in two weight divisions simultaneously, winning the lightweight belt shortly after capturing the featherweight throne.

He also successfully defended the featherweight world title twice, a testament to his consistency over a variety of opponents.

He’s beaten high-level opponents with similar backgrounds as Shamil Gasanov, such as when he finished former featherweight world champion Marat Gafurov- who was 15-1 at the time- by TKO.

Nguyen reflected on that world championship experience when speaking to the South China Morning Post, saying:

“I think my championship [experience] will play a factor, especially in the new Lumpinee Stadium. We all saw how loud that was last night. That would obviously play a factor as well. But the crowd does not fight for you so you just got to know how to control your emotions in those type of scenarios.”

Now training at Kill Cliff FC in Florida, Martin Nguyen will make the trip to Bangkok, Thailand to fight Gasanov at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium. It will be his first fight in Thailand since March 2018, when he sought gold in a third weight class, challenging Bibiano Fernandes for the bantamweight world championship.

As one of ONE Championship’s longest-tenured athletes, the bout will mark Martin Nguyen’s eighteenth appearance for the promotion.

ONE Fight Night 7 goes down on February 24 from Bangkok, Thailand, with a bantamweight world title rematch between John Lineker and Fabricio Andrade serving as the main event. The event streams in US prime time on Amazon Prime for North American subscribers.