At ONE 165, which will take place this coming weekend, Martin Nguyen is not under any type of illusions about what is in store for him.
He will compete against Garry Tonon, who is currently listed as the top contender in the featherweight division, on the day that ONE Championship returns to Japan, which is this coming Sunday, January 28.
Since he lost his championships, Nguyen has not been able to regain the same level of performance that he had as a champion. However, if he is able to stop his opponent’s momentum dead in its tracks inside the Ariake Arena, this fight has the potential to serve as a stepping stone on the path to restoration to his former glory.
Tonon, who specializes in submission technique, and Nguyen, who is known for his knockout skills, will compete against each other in this potential elimination match for the world title. Taking all of this into consideration, it should not come as a surprise that the former champion of two different divisions is going into this battle with a crystal clear concept of how he hopes the fight will play out.
According to what Nguyen stated in a recent interview with ONE Championship, the key to success for him this time around is to maintain his composure and land big smashes.
In this fight, we are going to simply go in there, put an end to his game plan, put my game plan into action, and then, you know, let the referee decide that it is time for him to call it a night.
The experience of Martin Nguyen will be pivotal to his success at ONE 165
One cannot teach experience, and Martin Nguyen has a lot of experience gained from competing at the top level. Experience is something that cannot be taught.
‘The Situ-Asian’ is one of the few fighters competing under the ONE Championship banner that can successfully claim to have experienced the same highs that he has encountered while competing in the promotion.
This experience will be vitally essential for him to have at ONE 165 in order to prevent him from falling into the traps that Tonon will create for him with his stellar credentials in the sport of grappling.
Nguyen will be able to maintain the fight precisely where he wants it to be if he is able to stay one step ahead of “The Lion Killer.” This will put him in a position where he has the best opportunity of winning the battle and regaining the title that he had previously held.
This next Sunday, January 28, ONE 165 will be broadcast live on watch.onefc.com as part of a global pay-per-view event.