“Like a fish out of water” - Martin Nguyen says he has the grappling advantage against Ilya Freymanov

ONE Championship’s first-ever two-division world champion Martin Nguyen will be back in action on September 30 at ONE on Prime Video 2. ‘The Situ-Asian’ will meet Russian opponent Ilya Freymanov who will be making his ONE Championship debut.

Stepping into the circle with a record of 10-1-0, Freymanov will be thrown right into the deep end against one of the promotion’s most accomplished superstars.

Discussing the impending bout with ONE Championship, Martin Nguyen spoke about his game plan going into the contest and his intentions of taking a wait-and-see approach:

“Styles make fights, so we’ll see what happens. I’m going to come in there – I might bang, I might come in there with my wrestling. I don’t know.”

Traditionally, Martin Nguyen prefers to stand and trade with his opponents, but‘The Situ-Asian’ is ready to take things to the ground if necessary and is more than confident in his ability to get the best of Freymanov should it go there.

“I recently got my BJJ brown belt, so if it hits the ground, I’m not sure if he wants to be with me on the floor. I’ll make him look like a fish out of water. That’s for sure.”

“But yeah, we’ve got to start on the feet no matter what. It works in his favor as a kickboxer, so we’ll put him to the test.”

Watch Nguyen's ONE Championship highlights below:

---

Who exactly is Martin Nguyen's opponent Ilya Fremanov?

If the name Ilya Freymanov doesn’t ring a bell, don’t be concerned. The Russian kickboxer has primarily fought in his home country as an amateur and a professional.

In that time, Fremanov has earned 10 victories, eight by way of knockout. Freymanov will enter the bout on a three-fight win streak and the chance to showcase his skills on a global stage in U.S. primetime.

Freymanov will be looking to make some noise against the No. 3-ranked featherweight contender Martin Nguyen. A win over the former two-division world champion would immediately thrust the Russian into the division’s top five and could put him into the conversation for a world title opportunity against the new featherweight king, Tang Kai.

Speaking to ONE Championship ahead of his eagerly-awaited debut, Ilya Freymanov said:

“My advice to the audience is to not blink and watch the fight carefully so they don’t miss my win. I will be looking to deliver a beautiful knockout.”