Martin Nguyen reveals Aung La N Sang was pushing him to take Leonardo Casotti down as early as the second round

After a long road to get back inside the circle, Martin Nguyen was able to put on a show for the fans in Bangkok and get himself back into the win column at ONE Fight Night 7.

After making sacrifices in his personal life by spending time away from his family, there were questions as to whether he would even get to compete after several opponents pulled out of the fight with him.

With Brazil’s Leonardo Casotti stepping in on very late notice, Nguyen was able to stay on the card. He reaped the rewards of his dedication in training camp by getting his hand raised with a unanimous decision win.

During the fight, Nguyen was able to showcase all aspects of what he has been working on. Whilst his explosive striking was once again on display, ‘The Situ-Asian’ mixed up his offense and later revealed that it was his training partner, friend and corner Aung La N Sang who told him to take the fight to the ground.

In an interview with the South China Morning Post, he said:

“My cornerman [Aung] was calling it since round two when I buckled his knee and leg and you know we know if I drive in for that takedown he’s going down. But he still had good mobility on his feet and played a good poker face.”

Catch the full interview below:

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Martin Nguyen fighting Leonardo Casotti without knowing anything about him "was dangerous"

Martin Nguyen needed a win at ONE Fight Night 7 to regain some of his momentum and that’s exactly what he got.

Going into the fight having lost three of his last four inside the circle, having his hand raised was the only thing on the former double champion’s mind. And the opportunity to compete nearly slipped away from him.

Originally scheduled to face undefeated contender Shamil Gasanov in a huge fight for the division, the highly anticipated matchup fell off the card due to Gasanov suffering an injury in training.

In his place, undefeated prospect Razhabali Shaydullaev stepped into the fight. He also pulled out of the event, with Brazil’s Leonardo Casotti taking his spot.

In the fight, Martin Nguyen called upon his years of high-level experience to adapt to his opponent in the moment instead of having months to prepare for his specific skill set.

Knowing very little about the man that he was stepping inside the circle to face added another level of danger to the fight. The late-notice nature of the matchup left Martin Nguyen walking into a fight with a competitor he knew practically nothing about.

Nguyen said of the uncertainties throughout fight week:

“I know every fighter is different, but there are some traits that fighters do that you kind of get used to and can expect... But not knowing anything about Leonardo was dangerous and I kinda had to just make it a smart fight, a winnable fight, but also I tried my best to finish him.”

Whilst getting himself back into the win column was the one and only focus for the former double champion, a finish would’ve really sealed the deal but Casotti showed his resilience in the fight.

Following their contest, Martin Nguyen credited his opponent:

“He’s a tough guy, man. A tough guy.”