Martin Nguyen plans to make new memories in Thailand to make up for the last time he was there

Former double ONE world champion Martin Nguyen is excited to return to Thailand after five years at ONE Fight Night 7 on Prime Video.

The Vietnamese-Australian striker is coming back to the ring to face undefeated Dagestani wrestler Shamil Gasanov in a featherweight clash at ONE Fight Night 7 on Prime Video, set for Feb. 24.

The event was originally scheduled to take place in Jakarta, Indonesia, but was moved to Bangkok, Thailand, last month. Nguyen, for one, is thrilled to return.

Martin Nguyen recently explained the reason behind his excitement to ONE Championship, saying:

“I haven't fought there since I fought Bibiano Fernandes in 2018. So it's good to go back. It's at a different stadium this time. It's at the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium so I'm excited to finally go there and compete under those bright lights.”

Nguyen and former bantamweight kingpin Bibiano Fernandes clashed at ONE: Iron Will at the Impact Arena in March 2018.

The event holds major significance for both men as this was Nguyen’s first bid to become a three-division world champion. At the time, Nguyen owned both the lightweight and featherweight belts, both of which he'd won via knockout a few years prior.

After a closely contested war, ‘The Flash’ Bibiano Fernandes ultimately retained his belt by split decision. The memory of the loss continues to pervade Nguyen’s mind, but he’s happy to get a second chance to turn things around inside a Muay Thai ring at the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium.

ONE Fight Night 7 is available live and for free to all Prime Video subscribers in North America.

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Martin Nguyen believes experience will help secure rebound win

‘The Situ-Asian’ Martin Nguyen believes his experience fighting in front of a full stadium will definitely fall in his favor against Shamil Gasanov this month.

Nguyen is a battle-tested warrior with tons of stage experience. Most of his career has been fought in front of deafening crowds. With Gasanov just coming off a debut win, the change in venue could have some effect on his mental game.

Going into the bout as the favorite, Martin Nguyen will definitely be drawing some energy from the crowd in a few days. But he’s also quick to point out that there is a certain danger in letting your emotions negatively dictate the pace of a fight.

Explaining to SCMP MMA, the 33-year-old said:

“I thnk that type of experience will play effect, especially in the new Lumpinee Stadium. We’ve always seen how loud that was last night, so that’ll obviously play a factor as well. But you know, the crowd doesn’t fight for you, so you just got to know how to control your emotions in those types of scenarios.”

Catch the full interview below: