Garry Tonon shares admiration for Martin Nguyen: “I have been watching him my whole career”

Garry Tonon has a deep admiration for what Martin Nguyen has accomplished in his combat sports career. But that won’t stop him from taking care of business should they meet inside the Circle one day.

‘The Lion Killer’ solidified his spot as the No.2-ranked contender in the featherweight division with an impressive second-round submission against previously undefeated Russian standout Shamil Gasanov. With the victory, Garry Tonon moved to 8-1 in MMA and one step closer to another shot at the ONE featherweight world championship.

However, the road to ONE gold could very well go through one of the most celebrated fighters in promotional history, Martin Nguyen. ‘The Situ-Asian’ re-signed with ONE Championship earlier this month and will be looking to make one more run at the featherweight crown, potentially putting the pair on a collision course:

“I never found him to be disrespectful. You know, I have been watching him my whole career and I'm very impressed by all of his victories,” Tonon told the South China Morning Post in a recent interview. “I'm sure he feels similarly about myself. Although, you know when we get in a cage we're not going to be so nice to each other.”

Martin Nguyen holds the distinction of being the first fighter in ONE Championship history to hold two titles in two separate divisions simultaneously. ‘The Lion Killer’ hopes he can one day replicate that feat, but for now, Garry Tonon is content with adding ‘The Situ-Asian’ to his hit list.

Who comes out on top in a potential meeting between Tonon and Nguyen? Let us know your prediction in the comments section below.

If you missed any of the action or just want to relive an epic night in ONE Championship history, the ONE Fight Night 12 replay can be watched anytime on demand via Amazon Prime Video in North America.