Former two-division world champion Martin Nguyen believes he can still hang out with the row of top-tier talent killers in ONE Championship’s ultra-stacked featherweight division.
‘The Situ-Asian’ wants to stay in the top 5 at 155lbs with a big win at ONE Fight Night 7: Lineker vs Andrade II.
Next Friday, February 24, Nguyen will take on short-term opponent Leonardo Casotti inside the iconic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
The entire card will stream live in US primetime and free to Amazon Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.
Martin Nguyen, who has gone 1-2 after losing the featherweight belt, acknowledged the tough level of competition in the division he once ruled.
Noted Kill Cliff FC told ONE Championship in an exclusive interview:
“For the champion, it really doesn’t seem that busy. But for the contenders, I mean, we’re all fighting for the number one spot. And Thanh Le has it right now, so regardless, I think, not really depending on where we’re at, I think whoever ends the fights is more devastating in the end. That’s what will sell a fight for title contention.”
Given his struggles of late, Nguyen has slumped to fourth in the standings. The man who ousted him, Thanh Le, remains the top contender in the division, followed by Garry Tonon.
Third place is taken by Ilya Freymanov, who knocked out the Vietnamese-Australian fighter in his promotional debut.
Meanwhile, Nguyen’s original ONE Fight Night 7 opponent Shamil Gasanov ranks fifth.
While ‘The Situ-Asian’ will now face an unranked opponent, he hopes to build momentum for a potential world title shot against the top dog in the division, Tang Kai.
We’ll see if Martin Nguyen has one more run when he takes on Casotti at ONE Fight Night 7.
Martin Nguyen adopts the underdog mentality on his way to reclaiming his world title
Even the best fighters in the world deal with adversity, and Martin Nguyen isn’t letting his bad luck of late define his storied career.
While he may not be the spring chicken he once was, the 33-year-old knows he has a lot more left in the tank.
Despite once conquering two divisions at the same time, Nguyen still sees himself as an underdog with a lot to prove.
Martin Nguyen made this clear during the ONE Fight Night 7 pre-event interview:
“I’ve been an underdog all my life. Life has hit me so hard that I don’t really care. When it comes to the odds and all that in a fight, all I have to worry about is showing up, having the right preparation, having everything ready for when the bell rings, and it’s me against him, me. I will do whatever it takes to win.