“Always puts on a show” - Fans in awe of Martin Nguyen’s iconic counterpunch KO of Filipino legend Eduard Folayang

Former ONE lightweight and featherweight MMA world champion Martin Nguyen knows how to put on a real show for the fans every time he steps inside the MMA cage.

Although his relentless fighting reputation preceded him, no one anticipated that a young kid of Vietnamese descent from Australia could knock out one of the most legendary fighters in ONE Championship.

The iconic counterpunch KO of MMA Filipino legend Eduard Folayang is in the books for the Best MMA knockout of 2017 for a reason - no one saw it coming.

As talks of his imminent return continue, ONE Championship commemorated Nguyen’s groundbreaking and historic moment over Folayang with a throwback reel on Instagram that said:

“🎞️ From The Archives 🎞️ Martin Nguyen became the first two-division World Champion in ONE history with this SENSATIONAL performance against Eduard Folayang! 👑🔥 @martinnguyenmma.”

Check out the wild fan reactions below:

Fan comments #1

Fan comments #2

Since Martin Nguyen vacated the lightweight MMA world title in 2018 and lost the featherweight MMA belt in 2020 to Thanh Le, the Vietnamese-Australian fighter has had mixed results in the stacked 145 lbs division.

He’s come up short a few times by way of terrifying stoppages against some of the toughest fighters in the rankings. However, Nguyen seems to have found his footing again after scoring a decision victory over Brazil’s Leonardo Casotti this past February at ONE Fight Night 7 on Prime Video.

It’s impossible not to wonder who Nguyen is going to fight next since the division is looking so stacked. Potential opponents could include American BJJ star Garry Tonon, who has previously called out Nguyen before submitting top contender Shamil Gasanov in July.

The other possibility could include a fight between Shamil Gasanov as well. If Nguyen could beat him, it will put him in a better position to face Tonon in a pivotal matchup in the featherweight MMA rankings.