Martin Nguyen reveals he doesn’t really train with Aung La N Sang

Martin Nguyen and Aung La N Sang have a close personal friendship, but the pair rarely train alongside one another due to their size differences.

Nguyen is gearing up for a high-stakes matchup at ONE Fight Night 7 on Prime Video this Friday night. ‘The Situ-Asian’ has been on a rough patch lately and needs to get his rhythm back inside the circle.

Ahead of his eagerly anticipated return, Nguyen spoke about his relationship with ‘The Burmese Python’ during a pre-fight interview:

“I don’t physically train with Aung La. Obviously, he’s on the farther end of the heavier guys. I train with all the smaller guys - they call us the ‘smaller guys’ when we weigh 155 and down.”

That is certainly understandable considering Martin Nguyen competes in the promotion’s featherweight division, while Aung La is a staple of ONE’s middleweight class.

Nguyen may not be able to emulate the Burmese legend’s size, but he certainly hopes to capture some of the success that Aung La has experienced following his own struggles inside the circle.

Aung La N Sang, meanwhile, has made a massive course correction in his last two fights, delivering back-to-back knockouts against Yushin Okami and Gilberto Galvao.

Nguyen hopes he can do the same against short-notice opponent Razhab Shaydullaev.

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Martin Nguyen knows every fight is a must-win situation from here on out

To keep his job and his ONE world title aspirations alive, Martin Nguyen recognizes that every time he steps into the circle from here on out, it is a must-win situation:

"I feel that I only have one chance and one chance only. So every bout that I have and every bout that I get from here on has to be important. If I want that title shot bad enough, it’s just up to me to perform."

Getting a win this Friday night could prove to be a difficult task as Nguyen squares off against undefeated newcomer Razhab Shaydullaev. Hailing from Kyrgyzstan, Shaydullaev enters the bout with a perfect record of 9-0 in MMA competition, with all of his victories coming by way of finish.

Friday’s clash presents Martin Nguyen with the perfect opportunity to regain some momentum by handing the budding prospect his first career loss. On the flip side, Shaydullaev will go into the matchup looking to make a statement on his ONE Championship debut.

ONE Fight Night 7 is set for February 24 at the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium and will air live and for free to all Prime Video subscribers in North America.