Martin Nguyen reveals Aung La N Sang suggested he change strategy midway through his fight

Martin Nguyen came into ONE Fight Night 7 on February 24 with one goal in mind, getting the victory no matter what.

After several changes to his opponent during the course of the fight week, Nguyen knew that he needed to be calculated and cautious against Leonardo Casotti. With his lack of knowledge about his opponent and what he does well, the former ONE double champion showed his experience to control the fight and not put himself in any position where he could be caught by a significant strike.

Whilst he could have pressed for a finish, ‘The Situ-Asian’ knew the importance of getting the win by any means necessary. Following his victory, Martin Nguyen revealed that his cornerman, training partner and friend Aung La N Sang, was pushing for him to take the fight to the ground.

In his post-fight interview, Nguyen said:

“You know me, I like to stand and bang, but Aung was saying take him down from the start of round two because his leg was shot, and he had no stability. For me, he's got the perfect eye, but I just didn't want to use that excess energy because he was still mobile, and I didn't want to shoot in, and he's very explosive.”

He added:

“I didn't want to shoot into a knee or something because that's something I'll do. So I wanted to wait for him to go guns blazing, and we knew in round three that he was going to come out. It had to finish now. Otherwise, I've lost the fight. So he came out of that, and it was a perfect moment to take him down.”

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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”

After coming into ONE Fight Night 7 only wanting to focus on the fight that was in front of him, Martin Nguyen is now starting to look ahead.

The former ONE double champion knew that he needed a win at any cost on February 24. That’s exactly what he did, scoring a dominant decision win against late-notice opponent Leonardo Casotti.

With his hand raised and his name back in the win column once again, ‘The Situ-Asian’ had a message for the rest of the featherweight division, which he previously reigned at the top of.

After potentially being seen as a fighter whose best years are now behind him, Martin Nguyen is ready to prove that he isn’t close to being done yet. In an interview with the South China Morning Post, Nguyen said:

“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: