“Flying knees don’t get any cleaner” - Martin Nguyen goes airborne in spectacular knockout of heavy-hitter Timofey Nastyukhin

Former two-division ONE world champion Martin Nguyen will look to deliver another highlight-reel knockout on Thursday, February 20, when he makes his long-awaited return to the Circle.

Emanating from Lusail Sports Arena in Qatar, ONE 171 will see 'The Situ-Asian' seek his 13th career win on martial arts' biggest global stage when he meets streaking Russian standout Shamil Gasanov.

But first, ONE Championship is looking back at some of Nguyen's greatest moments inside the Circle, including his jaw-dropping flying-knee knockout of Naratungalag Jadambaa at ONE: Roots of Honor.

“Flying knees don’t get any cleaner 😤 Can Martin Nguyen secure the win over Shamil Gasanov at ONE 171: Qatar?”

ONE Championship fans lit up the comments section and praised Nguyen's beautiful display of violence.

"That slo mo is crazy!!!!! 👏🔥"

"Wowwww!!! This is some amazing calculations of the body’s response to pain and then attacking!"

"Praying for him."

"TKO to KO is lethal 😅"

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Martin Nguyen seeking a return to the win column against the streaking Shamil Gasanov

ONE 171 will be Martin Nguyen's first time competing since suffering a January 2024 loss against 'The Lion Killer' Garry Tonon at ONE: 165 in Tokyo, Japan.

In recent years, 'The Situ-Asian' has struggled to stay in the win column, alternating wins and losses and going 2-4 in his last six outings, his only victories being a third-round knockout against Kirill Gorobets and a unanimous decision win over Leonardo Casotti.

As for Shamil Gasanov, the featherweight MMA division's third-ranked contender has dispatched all but one of his opponents inside the Circle — that being Garry Tonon. Outside of that lone loss, 'The Cobra' has fought his way into the win column against Kim Jae Woong, Oh Ho Taek, Aaron Canarte, and most recently, Halil Amir at ONE Fight Night 26 in December.

Will Gasanov earn the biggest win of his MMA career and take another step towards a ONE world title opportunity, or will the 35-year-old Nguyen snap the Russian's unbeaten streak and re-establish himself as a contender in one of ONE Championship's most stacked divisions?

ONE 171 will emanate from the Lusail Sports Arena in Qatar on Thursday, February 20. Head over to watch.onefc.com to learn more about how you can watch the event live.