Martin Nguyen believes Xiong Jing Nan has better killer instincts than Stamp Fairtex

According to former ONE featherweight and lightweight world champion Martin Nguyen, some fighters can take loads of shots to the head, but one dig to the midsection is all it takes to send them crashing to the canvas.

Such was the case when Angela Lee fought women’s strawweight queen Xiong Jing Nan for the first time in 2019. Lee almost finished Xiong midway through the fight after catching ‘The Panda’ in multiple submission attempts, but the Chinese superstar survived the grappling onslaught.

Then in the fifth and final round, Xiong connected with a thunderous body blow that sent Lee reeling halfway across the circle. Not long after, Xiong had put the finishing touches on the Singaporean-American icon to complete the technical knockout victory and put the first blemish on ‘Unstoppable’s’ pro record.

In 2022, two years after her maternity leave, the Hawaii resident returned to face Stamp Fairtex at ONE X. Lee ended up winning by second-round submission, but not before taking another gut-wrenching body shot early in the fight that had her nearly out on her feet.

Clearly, the body is an area of weakness for the 26-year-old mom-champ, and Martin Nguyen believes she may not be able to survive another dig to the gut area. He told ONE Championship in a recent interview:

“If Angela was hurt to her body again? Then possibly yeah, I think Xiong Jing Nan's got more of a killer instinct than Stamp Fairtex. But yeah, who knows? You never know unless you're in that situation.”

Angela Lee takes on Xiong Jing Nan for the third time at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore. The fight headlines ONE on Prime Video 2, which broadcasts live via Prime Video on September 30.

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Martin Nguyen returns to battle Ilya Freymanov at ONE on Prime Video 2

Former ONE featherweight and lightweight world champion ‘The Situ-Asian’ Martin Nguyen will battle Russia’s Ilya Freymanov on the same card at ONE on Prime Video 2. Although he’s stepping into the circle with another dangerous opponent, the 33-year-old former double champ admits not being able to scout his foe.

Martin Nguyen told ONE Championship in a recent interview:

“I don’t know anything about him. He trains with a very good friend of mine, Rafael Fiziev, a top-level kickboxer. And I assume – just going off the words of my coaches and a few videos that I’ve seen – that he’s a top-level kickboxer as well, so I’m just going to be sharp on the day.”

A victory for Nguyen here would be his second in a row. Furthermore, a win could possibly open the door to another crack at the ONE featherweight world title against Tang Kai or a rematch with former division king Thanh Le.