Martin Nguyen to defend One Featherweight World Title against Koyomi Matsushima in Manila on 2 August

The largest global sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), has just announced that reigning ONE Featherweight World Champion Martin “The Situ-Asian” Nguyen of Vietnam and Australia will defend his title against top contender Koyomi Matsushima of Japan. The featherweight showdown has been added to ONE: DAWN OF HEROES as the main event, which takes place at the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila on Friday, 2 August.

Ticket information for ONE: DAWN OF HEROES is available at www.onefc.com.

Done with bantamweight, Martin Nguyen looks to continue reign in featherweight and lightweight divisions

After coming up short in his two bids to become a three-division world champion in ONE Championship, two-division titleholder Martin ‘The Situ-Asian’ Nguyen has decided to bid goodbye to the bantamweight division.

The reigning ONE Featherweight and Lightweight World Champion first tried to wrestle the ONE Bantamweight World Championship from reigning champion Bibiano ‘The Flash’ Fernandes at ONE: IRON WILL in Bangkok back in March, only to lose via split decision.

Kevin Belingon dominates Martin Nguyen to win ONE INTERIM BANTAMWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

The largest global sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), electrified the packed Mall of Asia Arena with another evening of authentic world-class martial arts action. The state-of-the-art showground played host to ONE: REIGN OF KINGS, featuring the absolute best in local and international martial arts talent. In the main event, hometown hero Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon of Baguio City, Philippines overcame a stiff challenge from two-division ONE World Champion Martin “The Situ-Asian” Nguyen, winning by unanimous decision to claim the ONE Interim Bantamweight World Championship. 

In the main event of ONE: REIGN OF KINGS, Filipino dynamo Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon derailed Martin Nguyen’s goal to become a three-division world champion by outclassing the ONE Featherweight and Lightweight World Champion with his striking superiority. With his hometown crowd cheering behind him, Belingon effortlessly picked Nguyen apart in the stand-up, jolting the two-division titleholder with stunning left hooks and perfectly-executed spinning back kicks. In the end, all three judges scored the bout in favor of Belingon to win by unanimous decision after an intense five-round affair, bringing home the ONE Interim Bantamweight World Championship.

Kevin Belingon takes on Martin Nguyen for One Interim Bantamweight World Championship

SHANNON WIRATCHAI FACES FORMER ONE LIGHTWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPION SHINYA AOKI

LEGENDARY RENZO GRACIE RETURNS TO ACTION IN FAREWELL MATCH AGAINST YUKI KONDO

The largest global sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), has just announced the main event for ONE: REIGN OF KINGS, set for the Mall of Asia Arena on Friday, 27 July. In the main event, Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon of Baguio City, Philippines will take on Martin “The Situ-Asian” Nguyen of Sydney, Australia for the ONE Interim Bantamweight World Championship. 

In addition, two blockbuster bouts have also been announced. Rising Thai superstar Shannon “OneShin” Wiratchai makes his way to Manila to face former ONE Lightweight World Champion Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki, while the legendary Renzo Gracie returns to action in his final farewell match to face veteran Yuki Kondo.

Ticket information for ONE: REIGN OF KINGS is available at www.onefc.com.

Martin Nguyen scores second-round knockout to capture lightweight crown from Eduard Folayang

The largest sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), had another memorable and historic evening in Manila as the capacity crowd at the Mall of Asia Arena witnessed an amazing display of heart-pounding martial arts action. ONE: LEGENDS OF THE WORLD featured a series of compelling bouts, punctuated by two unforgettable championship clashes that left fans on the edge of their seats. In the main event, ONE Featherweight World Champion Martin “The Situ-Asian” Nguyen knocked out Filipino martial arts superstar Eduard “Landslide” Folayang to capture the ONE Lightweight World Championship, becoming the first two-division champion in the promotion’s history. In the co-main event, Adriano “Mikinho” Moraes of Brazil retained the ONE Flyweight World Championship with a quick victory over Danny “The King” Kingad of the Philippines.

Martin Nguyen determined to make history at ONE: LEGENDS OF THE WORLD

Martin “The Situ-Asian” Nguyen completed his climb to the apex of ONE Championship’s competitive 70.3-kilogram weight class by clinching a prestigious martial arts gold against a fierce Russian rival.

The 28-year-old Australian standout knocked out the previously unbeaten Marat “Cobra” Gafurov and laid claim to the featherweight crown in the main event of ONE: QUEST FOR GREATNESS this past August.

Nguyen may have won the ONE Featherweight World Championship by defeating a tough foe like Gafurov in August, but now he is moving up a weight class and looking to acquire a second world title.

The newly-minted featherweight kingpin is set to challenge Filipino martial arts superstar Eduard “Landslide” Folayang for the ONE Lightweight World Championship in the main event of ONE: LEGENDS OF THE WORLD, which takes place at the 20,000-seater SM Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines.

Eduard Folayang to face Martin Nguyen at ONE: LEGENDS OF THE WORLD in Manila

The largest sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), has just announced another blockbuster evening of world-class martial arts action as ONE: LEGENDS OF THE WORLD hits the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila on 10 November. In the main event, reigning ONE Lightweight World Champion Eduard “Landslide” Folayang defends his title against ONE Featherweight World Champion Martin “The Situ-Asian” Nguyen in a cross-divisional showdown of epic proportions.

Ticket information for ONE: LEGENDS OF THE WORLD is available at www.onefc.com.

Martin Nguyen pays tribute to late father after winning world title in Kuala Lumpur

Martin “The Situ-Asian” Nguyen completed his climb to the top of ONE Championship’s competitive 70.3-kilogram weight class by clinching a prestigious martial arts gold against a fierce Russian rival.

The 28-year-old Australian standout knocked out the previously unbeaten Marat “Cobra” Gafurov in their rematch and laid claim to the featherweight crown in the main event of ONE: QUEST FOR GREATNESS last Friday, 18 August at the iconic Stadium Negara in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Martin Nguyen crowned new One Featherweight World Champion with knockout of Marat Gafurov

The largest sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), once again electrified the iconic Stadium Negara in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia with another evening of authentic world-class martial arts action. ONE: QUEST FOR GREATNESS delivered a series of compelling bouts, performed by the absolute best in local and international martial arts talent. In the main event, Martin “The Situ-Asian” Nguyen shocked the world by stopping Marat “Cobra” Gafurov in their rematch to become the new ONE Featherweight World Champion.

In the main event of ONE: QUEST FOR GREATNESS, Martin “The Situ-Asian” Nguyen of Australia completed his journey through ONE Championship’s featherweight ranks by upsetting previously-unbeaten Russian champion Marat “Cobra” Gafurov via knockout within two rounds to clinch the highly-coveted ONE Featherweight World Championship. Gafurov dominated the first round with his magnificent grappling arsenal, but Nguyen found his groove in the second frame as he tore apart his Russian foe with his striking. Recognizing an opening, Nguyen countered Gafurov’s jab with an overhand right that knocked out the now former champion at the center of the ONE Championship cage. Nguyen’s remarkable conquest of Gafurov earned him the “GoDaddy Knockout of the Night” award.

Martin Nguyen’s sacrifices pays off as he gets much-deserved title shot

“The life of a professional martial artist is difficult, but I understand that in order to be the best, we have to make certain sacrifices. Spending time away from friends and family to train isn’t easy,” Nguyen said.

Nguyen admitted the most painful sacrifice is the separation from his family, but he knows that there is a reward waiting for him.

“It’s part of being a professional martial artist. A lot of sacrifices have been made. Training in December was one of them. I had to give up Christmas celebrations for this fight. I missed a lot of family activities such as birthdays and reunions,” he stated.

Martin Nguyen sacrifices Christmas family time in pursuit of future title shot

Sacrifice means to give up something cherished in order to get something even more valuable in the future. This concept also applies to mixed martial arts (MMA) as the path to becoming a world champion is paved with much sacrifice.

To set foot on the pinnacle of success, all fighters must go through blood, sweat and tears in training. Moreover, MMA athletes have to be separated from their families for months to dedicate their lives to the craft that they seek to perfect.