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Former ONE featherweight champion Martin Nguyen is prepping to face Russia's Shamil Gasanov, who steamrolled Kim Jae Woong in his last outing.
Nguyen was admittedly impressed by his upcoming opponent's recent showing against Woong, especially considering the fact that Woong finished Nguyen in the first round of their bout.
'The Situ-Asian' spoke to SCMP MMA about his next foe, saying:
"I don’t know. I didn’t really go past his last three fights. Obviously, he’s manhandled them and submitted them. Most recently that last opponent Kim Jae Woong. I don’t know about that fight, but yeah. He came in and did his thing, checked him out, and made it look easy. He just cracked the rankings and on to the next guy."
Gasanov owns a 13-0 pro record, which includes 11 finishes. However, he's far less experienced than Nguyen, who will be making his 18th appearance inside the circle at ONE Fight Night 7 on Prime Video.
Martin Nguyen believes world title experience could be the difference in matchup with Shamil Gasanov
The former champ's vast experience edge could prove to be the difference in his matchup with Gasanov.
During the same interview with SCMP's Tom Taylor, Nguyen suggested that it will play a factor come fight night:
“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.”
Since signing with ONE Championship in 2014, Martin Nguyen has shared the circle with prominent names like Christian Lee, Edward Kelly, Eduard Folayang, Bibiano Fernandes, and Kevin Belingon, amongst several others.
While struggling to string together victories recently, 'The Situ-Asian' is still confident that he has what it takes to regain champion status before retiring.
Be sure to tune in to ONE Fight Night 7 on February 24 to watch Martin Nguyen take on Shamil Gasanov in a critical featherweight bout, live from the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Check out Martin Nguyen's full conversation with SCMP MMA below:
