Martin Nguyen is going to have to face a formidable adversary at ONE 165, even if he holds a great deal of respect for him.
At this point in his career, the 34-year-old former ONE world champion, who defeated two different divisions, is a veteran of the ring. As a result, there is not much that he has not already experienced that might be thrown at him.
In this particular instance, ‘The Situ-Asian’ and his prospective adversary, Garry Tonon, are displaying nothing but respect for one another.
It is difficult to not respect an opponent like Tonon, who, once the battle begins, is a nightmare for anyone in the world due to the fact that he has spent a significant amount of time competing at the highest level of jiu-jitsu.
The same could be said of Nguyen, whose track record under the ONE Championship banner speaks for itself, and he has demonstrated time and time again that he is not someone who can be counted out.
During an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda MMA, Nguyen disclosed that there is no space for ill blood between himself and Tonon prior to the fight night:
We do not have any ill will toward one another. I have the impression that we both respect each other’s careers and the skill sets that we both possess.
There might not be any tension for Martin Nguyen going into this fight, but there are certainly high stakes
This fight between Martin Nguyen and Garry Tonon may not have a championship attached to it, but other than that, the stakes don’t get much higher for either man when they meet inside the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan on January 28. The fight will take place on January 28.
Nguyen’s victory over Leonardo Casotti in the previous year was a much-needed victory for him, but if he were to defeat someone like Tonon, it would place him right in the running for a title opportunity.
As a result of his victories against Johnny Nunez and Shamil Gasanov, “The Lion Killer” is currently the top contender at the featherweight division. His only defeat inside the ring came at the hands of Thanh Le, who is currently the interim champion.
One of these two men can only leave the cage as the next man in line for a shot at the belt after they have entered it, regardless of whether or not there is tension between them. There is no denying this fact.
On the 28th of January, ONE 165 will be broadcast live on watch.onefc.com through the global pay-per-view service.
