Martin Nguyen impressed by Leonardo Casotti’s toughness

At ONE Fight Night 7, Martin Nguyen had one goal in mind and that was to walk away from the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium with another win under his belt.

The former ONE double world champion had made a lot of sacrifices in preparation for the fight, knowing how badly he needed to get back in the win column to get the ball rolling again.

After several late changes of opponent, Nguyen knew that he needed to approach this fight carefully and draw on all of his elite-level experience.

With Brazil’s Leonardo Casotti stepping up to the plate, the fight was largely a one-sided affair with Nguyen walking away with a unanimous decision.

Despite hurting his opponent a few times throughout the contest, ‘The Situ-Asian’ showed restraint in not chasing down a finish. In his post-event interview, Martin Nguyen reflected on the fight after it went to a decision:

“I was surprised [at his opponent's toughness], but at the same time, I didn't want to get too reckless and get caught myself. So I knew I hurt him a few times, but I didn't want to go guns blazing and put on a show but also lose a fight. That's not my style. I know I'm here to win every single fight.”

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Martin Nguyen has a message for opponents who call him old: “I’mma step it up and put you in your place”

Martin Nguyen wasn’t just out for himself at ONE Fight Night 7, he was out to prove a point to the rest of the featherweight division.

After struggling to find consistency in his recent fights, ‘The Situ-Asian’ doesn’t strike fear into the hearts of his featherweight rivals in the same way that he did when he was the world champion.

With his much-needed win over Leonardo Casotti secured, Martin Nguyen clearly had something on his mind that he wanted to get off after returning to the win column.

The former double champion spoke with the South China Morning Post in an interview on YouTube, making sure to bring his receipts for all the fighters who had counted him out at this stage in his career:

“Yeah look, to be honest man, you can call me old, you can say that I’m done. But if you got that in your mind, I say not only are you naive, I’mma step it up and put you in your place. So, at the end of the day, that was pure experience, and I just had to do what I had to do to get the win.”

Watch the full interview below: