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Martin Nguyen hopes to get back into the win column when he makes his next walk to the circle on February 24.
That will be no easy task for ‘The Situ-Asian’ as he faces an incredibly tough test against Russian standout Shamil ‘The Cobra’ Gasanov. Ahead of his return to the cage at ONE Fight Night 7 on Prime Video, Nguyen spoke about his matchup with Gasanov and the hype surrounding him after just one appearance in ONE Championship:
“I’m buying the hype... He’s a good guy and a good fighter. Obviously 13-0. You can’t fight 13 bums. Good for him. There was once upon a time, another Russian guy that I fought that was undefeated and riding a huge hype as well. So I kind of see it like there’s a lot of similarities there.”
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The “Russian guy” that Martin Nguyen makes reference to is Marat Gafurov. A mainstay under the ONE Championship banner, Gafurov, who also happens to be nicknamed ‘Cobra,’ was an impressive 15-0 before suffering his first loss in mixed martial arts. That loss came against none other than Nguyen, who dispatched the Russian via second-round knockout at ONE: Quest for Greatness in 2017.
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Nguyen will attempt to deliver a similar result against the 13-0 Shamil Gasanov. Fans in North America can catch the action live and for free on Amazon Prime Video.
Watch the full interview below:
Martin Nguyen hopes to finish his career in ONE Championship
Representing the Asia-based promotion since 2014, Martin Nguyen has established himself as a true legend of ONE Championship and MMA altogether. ‘The Situ-Asian’ holds the distinction of being the first two-division ONE world titleholder in the promotion’s history, though the Kill Cliff FC product has seen better days inside the Circle.
Dropping three of his last four bouts, all by way of knockout, Nguyen enters his bout at ONE Fight Night 7 on February 24 with his back against the wall. No matter what happens, the 33-year-old hopes to finish his career with ONE Championship:
“That’s the idea, man but I don’t know what the future holds. I’m just going to take it as it comes and I’m grateful to be able to set foot in the ring, in the circle, and to represent my brand and inspire a lot of people in the ONE Championship platform. One step at a time and we’ll go from there.”
