“I’m going to end it like every other fight. I’ll try to knock this guy out.” -Martin Nguyen confident he will finish Kim Jae Woong

Former two-division ONE world champion Martin Nguyen appears primed and ready ahead of his highly anticipated return to the Circle this Friday night.

Martin Nguyen is arguably the best featherweight in ONE Championship’s 10 year history, having dispatched of names like Marat Gafurov, Eduard Folayang, and even reigning ONE lightweight world champion Christian Lee, among many others.

The Vietnamese-Australian athlete has also shown a knack for finishing fights, ending 12 of his 13 victories before the final bell.

Now the #1-ranked featherweight contender, Martin Nguyen steps back into the Circle to face the #5-ranked Kim Jae Woong at ONE Championship: Revolution, which broadcasts live from the Singapore Indoor Stadium this Friday night, September 24.

‘The Situ-Asian’ promises yet another spectacular performance.

“He (Kim) is a tough opponent, he’s a good opponent. He’s the next guy in line, just another guy that I’ll be fighting. He’s just a pressure fighter, he likes to come forward like a zombie. We’re just going to do our thing,” Martin Nguyen told ONE Championship.

“I’m going to end it like every other fight. I’ll try to knock this guy out, try to lay some hands on him.”

Martin Nguyen and Kim have long been on a collision course. Even before Martin Nguyen lost his featherweight belt to now reigning champion Thanh Le in October of 2020, the South Korean they call ‘The Fighting God’ had been hounding the Vietnamese-Australian.

Kim called Martin Nguyen out every chance he got

Unfortunately, the fight has been an absolute nightmare to make. Due to various unforeseen factors, attempts have resulted in two canceled bouts over the past year.

Now that it’s finally coming together, Martin Nguyen is relieved. But he hasn’t forgotten what Kim has said about him.

“[Honestly], I don’t really care. I’m just going to worry about me, do my thing, take out this next guy and take one step closer toward that title,” a determined Nguyen said.

“I was a champion for three consecutive years. I’ve been called out for the last three years. Even climbing the ranks, I’ve been called out. It’s nothing new to me.

“He did what he had to do to get that next shot. I think he’s trying to use me as a fast-track to the title but I don’t really care, it’s just another fight for me. He can keep talking, he can keep doing whatever, I don’t really care. I’m just going to do my thing.”

Martin Nguyen maintains he’s already proven himself as one of the most dominant featherweight champions in the promotion’s history. He is confident he will once again leave the Circle the victor on Friday night.

“I have been a dominant champion for the last three years. I’ve got nothing to prove. I’m just going to go in there like any other fight, do my thing, and let my skills do the talking. Fight night could always be different but I like to go with the flow and see what he throws and see if he can handle what I throw and go from there,” Nguyen said.

ONE Championship: Revolution broadcasts live from the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Friday, September 24. Christian ‘The Warrior’ Lee defends his ONE lightweight world title against #3-ranked lightweight Ok Rae Yoon in the main event.