Watch: Ilya Freymanov drops Martin Nguyen with straight right hand and follows with ground-and-pound

If his debut fight is the precedent, then Ilya Freymanov may just be the new monster in the featherweight division.

The Russian smashing machine made an astounding ONE Championship debut when he scored a first-round knockout on former two-division world champion Martin Nguyen at ONE on Prime Video 2: Xiong vs. Lee III. The event was held at the Singapore Indoor Stadium last Friday.

Freymanov, despite making his first step on the world stage, was as composed as anyone in the circle. That was the case even though he was taking on the former ONE featherweight and lightweight world champion.

Going on the offensive as early as the opening bell, Freymanov had no problems stalking the Vietnamese-Australian superstar. Upon cutting the distance, Freymanov landed a stunning right straight that sent Nguyen falling to the canvas.

He then rained down some heavy hands from above and pummeled Nguyen with reckless abandon. Freymanov proceeded to put Nguyen in a clinch and kneed him straight in the forehead to end the ground-and-pound onslaught.

That striking sequence drew mixed reactions from fans, with some highly impressed with Freymanov’s aggression and others were downtrodden after seeing Nguyen get dominated.

“As a fan of Martin, we really want him to do well; hope he gets a full camp at Kill Cliff FC, research his opponents, instead of the goes-with-the-flow strategy 👹,” one fan posted.

Others, though, expressed his admiration for Freymanov.

“Wow!!! It's Russian Cyborg! Very very very impressive🔥🔥🔥.”

As well as the first-round win, Freymanov also pocketed a sweet $50,000 bonus from ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong for his aggressive performance.

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Ilya Freymanov grabs biggest opportunity of his career

Ilya Freymanov couldn’t have asked for a better debut and a better opponent than Martin Nguyen.

Nguyen is the first ever two-division world champion in ONE Championship, and for Freymanov to fight such a fighter in his debut was nothing short of extraordinary.

In an interview with ONE Championship before the fight, Ilya Freymanov said his debut in the promotion was already his biggest opportunity. He felt lucky to have been offered to fight ‘The Situ-Asian’ in his first fight for the organization.

“If Chatri gave me that chance, why should I turn it down? I’m happy with what ONE is offering me right now. Maybe this is luck, but luck comes to the strongest and those who are ready."

He'll now look to continue the momentum gained from his debut triumph by delivering a similar display in his sophomore outing in the circle.