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Martin Nguyen believes it takes a great deal of mental toughness to make it in the fight game.
‘The Situ-Asian’ would know a thing or two about achieving greatness and the toll it takes on one’s mind and body. Nguyen holds the distinction of being ONE Championship’s first-ever two-division titleholder, claiming both the featherweight and lightweight world titles in his illustrious career.
On Sunday, January 28, he’ll look to secure himself another crack at featherweight gold when he meets the division’s No. 1 ranked contender, ‘The Lion Killer’ Garry Tonon, at ONE 165 in Tokyo, Japan.
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Appearing on the From The Stands podcast ahead of their high-stakes showdown in The Land of the Rising Sun, Martin Nguyen spoke about the toll that being a professional fighter takes, not just on the body, but on the mind.
“This whole fight game is all mental, man,” Nguyen said. “It's like we train every single day, twice a day, all year round. Even when it comes through to a like holiday, occasions, we're always training. As fighters, you know, to get better and to be better, I feel that 80 to 90 percent of this fight journey is all mental. You just got to have the right particular focus for the right particular goals.”
Martin Nguyen has his work cut out for him at ONE 165
Martin Nguyen has dropped three of his last five, but solid wins over Kirill Gorobets and Leonardo Casotti have kept him in the featherweight division’s top-five rankings. At ONE at 165 could thrust him into the top contender’s slot, but that will be easier said than done when he meets BJJ legend Garry Tonon.
Transitioning from submission grappling to MMA in 2018, ‘The Lionkiller’ has scored eight victories inside the Circle, with seven of those wins coming by way of finish. He’ll look to add his biggest win yet to his resume against a true ONE Championship legend in Martin Nguyen.
ONE 165 airs live on Sunday, January 28, via global pay-per-view at watch.onefc.com.
