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Martin Nguyen is one of the most successful fighters in ONE Championship’s history. As one of the few competitors who has achieved double-champion status, his experience inside the circle is nearly unmatched.
After losing his world championships and going through some ups and downs in his career through recent years, Nguyen is trying to rebound and get some momentum back.
At ONE Fight Night 7 on Prime Video, ‘The Situ-Asian’ will return to the circle to face Russia’s Shamil Gasanov, who debuted with a win in October 2022.
In an interview with SCMP MMA, Martin Nguyen spoke about his vast experience that he has accumulated in ONE Championship and how he will use that to his advantage:
“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.”
Watch the full interview below:
The former double champion has won just one of his last four bouts, having not put together back-to-back wins since 2019.
ONE Fight Night 7 on Prime Video is live from the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium on February 24. The entire event is free to watch for North American viewers with an active Amazon Prime subscription.
WATCH: Martin Nguyen exacts vengeance over Marat Gafurov in heated rematch
Though Martin Nguyen has had a tough run in recent years, it can’t be forgotten how dominant of a run he put together during his best years in ONE Championship.
To give fans a glimpse back into the past, the promotion recently posted the highlights of his rematch with Marat Gafurov.
Back in 2017, ‘The Situ-Asian’ was in the form of his life, riding an incredible streak of devastating finishes over his opponents. One of the final fights of his incredible run that made him one of the biggest stars in the promotion was a rematch against the last man to beat him.
After winning his debut fight in ONE Championship, Nguyen faced Gafurov back in 2015 and was handed the first loss of his professional career. Winning the interim featherweight world championship, Gafurov submitted Nguyen in just 41 seconds.
Two years on from their first meeting, revenge was served. ONE Championship posted the highlights from their rematch alongside the caption:
“Before former two-division king Martin Nguyen collides with undefeated Russian star Shamil Gasanov at ONE Fight Night 7 on February 24, relive his ONE Featherweight World Title rematch with Dagestani submission machine Marat Gafurov in 2017!”
With a second-round knockout, Nguyen won his first ever world championship and kick-started his quest for gold that would see him become a double champion after defeating Eduard Folayang.
Nguyen defeated Gafurov with a second-round KO to earn his first world championship. He would go on to defeat Eduard Folayang for the lightweight world title in his next fight to cement his place in history as the first person in the promotion to hold two belts simultaneously.
Watch the rematch between Martin Nguyen and Marat Gafurov below:
