“Taking that L was pretty harsh” - Martin Nguyen admits disappointing loss to Shamil Gasanov fueled decision to retire

Former ONE double world champion Martin Nguyen said his defeat last week in Qatar had a different sting to it that he saw it fit to retire from competing.

'The Situ-Asian' lost to Russian Shamil Gasanov by unanimous decision in their featherweight MMA showdown at ONE 171: Qatar on Feb. 20 at the Lusail Sports Arena.

The two battled throughout their scheduled three-rounder, anchoring their attack on their respective strong suits. In the end though, it was 'Cobra', relying on his crack wrestling skills, who got the nod in the judges' scorecards.

In an interview with combat sports journalist Nick Atkin of the Bangkok Post following his match, Nguyen opened up about the defeat and his decision to retire.

The 35-year-old Vietnamese-Australian fighter said:

"And obviously, taking that L was pretty harsh. It is what it is, and this is my decision. I’m gonna stand by it and spend the rest of my career and my life with my family."

Watch the interview below:

Martin Nguyen ended his decade run in ONE Championship with an overall record of 12-8. Along the way he became a double world champion, holding the featherweight and lightweight MMA championship belts simultaneously at one point.

The full replay of ONE 171: Qatar is available via watch.onefc.com.

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Martin Nguyen believes he did enough to win at ONE 171

While he accepted the defeat he was dealt at ONE 171: Qatar, Martin Nguyen still believes that he did enough to earn a victory over Shamil Gasanov in their match.

He shared this in the same interview with the Bangkok Post, underscoring how his striking was far better than his Russian opponent and that it delivered more damage than what Gasanov was able to.

Nguyen said:

"In terms of damage, yeah. Shamil was bleeding. He caught me in that first round, which was, I felt I slipped more than anything. But didn't even hurt me once and he just went back holding me. I was hitting him; I was trying to be active without getting taken down."

Nguyen has decided to retire following his defeat at ONE 171, drawing the curtain on an eventful ONE Championship campaign.