Martin Nguyen says anyone in the top five at featherweight can get a shot at the belt

The top of ONE Championship’s featherweight division is as loaded as it’s ever been, and Martin Nguyen believes he’s just as likely as any in the top five to get a shot next.

The Australian fighter with Vietnamese roots is nearly ready to fight No.5-ranked Shamil Gasanov on February 24, hoping to improve his own ranking in the division.

Nguyen recently spoke to the South China Morning Post about the strength of the featherweight top five and the challenges that await world champion Tang Kai next year.

This is what Nguyen had to say:

“I know Ilya Freymanov, if I had beaten him, I knew for a fact that I was going to get a title shot again. But obviously, things didn’t go my way. I don’t know if Ilya gets the title shot or Thanh Le gets the rematch – which I think he deserves. Who knows? If Shamil beats me, he might get a title shot. If I beat Shamil, I might get a title shot. I don’t know. We’ll just see what goes on.”

Tang Kai became the ONE featherweight world champion last August when he took a unanimous decision over former titleholder Thanh Le. At the moment, Nguyen and Gasanov are the only fighters with fights booked, but the fighter to watch out of the others Martin Nguyen mentioned is Ilya Fremanov.

Freymanov recently made his debut with ONE Championship, knocking him out in round one last September. The win shot the promising Russian to No.3 in the rankings and it’s likely that he’ll either face another contender such as Thanh Le or Garry Tonon next to state his case for a world title shot.

Garry Tonon got back in the win column last month when he submitted Johnny Nunez at ONE Fight Night 6, allowing him to stay as the No.2-ranked fighter in the division.

Martin Nguyen feels that new coach Bob Cook is preparing him well for Shamil Gasanov

The challenge in front of Martin Nguyen in the immediate future is 13-0 Russian Shamil Gasanov.

Shamil recently choked out Kim Jae Woong last October at ONE on Prime Video 3, and Nguyen knows that there’s a chance his grappling could be tested.

That’s why he’s been working Kill Cliff FC’s new coach, Bob Cook, to work on his grappling skills. Speaking to SCMP MMA, here’s what Martin Nguyen said of Cook:

"Obviously, we’ve got a new coach. He’s well known around the circuit. Been working a lot with him closely. Just getting me ready for the moment. When my opponent grabs a hold of me, there’s no panic mode. There’s not anything there. It’s just nothing new to what’s happening in the gym."

Martin Nguyen will fight Shamil Gasanov at ONE Fight Night 7 on February 24 in Bangkok, Thailand. The event streams live and free on Amazon Prime for North American subscribers.