“We have to do it” – Martin Nguyen reckons he’ll still fight Shamil Gasanov somewhere down the line

Former ONE featherweight and lightweight MMA world champion ‘The Situ-Asian’ Martin Nguyen can’t wait to return to action and begin his march back to ONE Championship gold. And the 34-year-old Vietnamese-Australian veteran says he is willing to take on any foe to get there.

Nguyen, the current no.3-ranked featherweight MMA contender in ONE Championship, is set to face no.1-ranked ‘The Lion Killer’ Garry Tonon at ONE 165: Superlek vs. Takeru next weekend.

The event broadcasts live from the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan on Sunday, January 28th.

If he is able to defeat Tonon, Nguyen will find himself in a fantastic position to call for a shot at the featherweight MMA belt. However, the former two-division king said he is willing to face another big name in Russia’s Shamil Gasanov in order to further strengthen his case.

Speaking to the South China Morning Post in a recent interview, Nguyen said:

“Yeah, it makes sense to fight Shamil in the near future. If I have to do it after this fight, if I have to do it before him, whatever like, my main focus right now is on Garry. My overall focus is getting that title back. So if Shamil somehow, we bump heads getting towards that title, then, you know, we have to do it.”

Nguyen was scheduled to face Gasanov last year, but the latter fell out of the fight due to sickness.

---

Martin Nguyen looks to make a case for world title shot with win over Garry Tonon

Tonon is a former ONE world title challenger himself, and is currently ranked no.1 in a stacked ONE Championship featherweight MMA division. A victory for Nguyen would instantly propel the Vietnamese-Australian to pole position in the rankings.

Of course, that’s easier said than done. Tonon is one of the most dangerous grapplers in all of MMA, and is a decorated Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion.

It all comes to a head next week at ONE 165.

Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action of ONE 165: Superlek vs. Takeru live via pay-per-view at watch.onefc.com. Check ONE Championship’s official website for more information on how to watch from your location.