Present at One Championship since 2014, Martin Nguyen has experienced enough ups and downs at the largest martial arts tournament in Asia. He has become a champion of two weights, who has experienced the pain of losing, each upper radio with the top names in the world.
However, in 2014, all of these achievements were never in Martin's striving plan. Even with the Vietnamese boxer, the story of playing in One Championship was surprised “as a gift in the sky”.
“At that time I didn't know what,” Martin Nguyen shrugged when he recounted how he joined One Championship. I am 21, just started to fight MMA professional for about a year, no, 10 months. I had the first 2 MMA wins in 10 months.”
“At Sydney at that time there was a tournament, Brace MMA. I am on my first matches there. The champion of their Featherweight, I remembered his name Nick Honstein, moved to the United States and could not protect the championship.”
“At that time, Luke Standing was the one who was preparing to compete for the belt – he prepared to fight Honstein twice but could not make an appointment.
“So people arranged Standing a belt match, I was also called to become a rival of Standing. He at that time had a record of 4 or 5 matches, I only had 2 professional wins.”
“Others can judge that I was quite reckless when I became a” good child “so that Luke Standing could easily get a belt, but I had faith – I had 8 amateur battles, all won. My floor experience was not necessarily inferior to standing.”
One thing that Martin Nguyen did not know was that the Brace MMA tournament agreed with One Championship to send Brace's new champion to the one floor. Anyone who won the match between Martin Nguyen and Luke Standing has the opportunity to receive the largest martial arts tournament in Asia.
“I ended the match against Standing with Knockout in the first half,” Martin said. “Brace kept a secret about the introduction agreement to the One Championship, so I, and maybe Luke Standing, didn't know anything. It was only when people gave me the contract, I turned on.”
Video match Martin Nguyen vs. Luke Standing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmep0lbiibu
Martin Nguyen once shared that joining One Championship is his luck. But the way for Martin to become a champion is not easy at all.
After the success of the Rocky Batolbatol by strangling after Refa Choke, Martin Nguyen was given the opportunity to confront the champion at that time, Marat Gafurov, when Gafurov's expected opponent could not be upper.
The chances of the belt coming too soon turned out to not accompany the luck. Inexperienced, Martin Nguyen was strangled by Gafurov at the 41st second of the first half, just like the way he won Rocky Batolbatol 10 months ago.
“My second match in One Championship is a belt match. I fought like a child filled with emotions, I didn't know what to do, what to expect,” Martin Nguyen recalled his first defeat on a professional MMA match.
“Losing the match against Marat was like being pierced by a cold water. Marat was a scary opponent. At that time he was like a war,” making salad “every opponent in the weight class. But for me it was a very valuable defeat. I know that I need to focus, hard, know where my level is to strive.”
Martin Nguyen's efforts later tasted his sweet fruit. He returned to the ring, continued fighting, continuing to win. Martin once again confronted Marat Gafurov in 2017 – this time he lowered the “Russian Tiger Tiger” with the 2nd Knockout.
“I always keep in mind that I am a professional boxer and must make an effort like a professional boxer to achieve the victory,” Martin Nguyen shared.
This weekend, Martin Nguyen will once again. This time, his opponent was “Korean War” Kim Jae Woong – who had just defeated Tetsuya Yamada late last year. This will be one of the obstacles of Martin to overcome to have the ability to regain the championship before the Vietnamese compatriot Thanh Le.