Martin ‘the Situ-Asian’ Nguyen is prepared to stand his ground against the heavy grappling of Shamil ‘the Cobra’ Gasanov but believes he can “land one good shot” to end the Russian’s dominant rise.
The former ONE featherweight and lightweight MMA champion is set to feature on the stacked ONE 171: Qatar card, live from the Lusail Sports Arena on Thursday, February 20 (AEDT).
Nguyen last fought in January 2024, having suffered a defeat against jiu-jitsu phenom Gary Tonon. However, the former champ is set to make his long-awaited return against a highly dangerous opponent.
In an exclusive interview with Fight News Australia, ‘the Situ-Asian’ spoke about his upcoming fight, his legacy in ONE Championship and his future in MMA.
“He (Shamil) is the boogeyman of the featherweight division,” he said.
“He is obviously a top-notch fighter. In his 17 fights his only loss was against Gary Tonon and he was kind of dominating that fight anyway so that’s just unfortunate the way that fight went out.
“I feel like no one wants to fight him. He’s the type of fighter who plays it safe just to get the win and I feel like it’s just going to be the same thing with me. He’s just going to shoot from the other side of the cage.
“He’s got zero striking and if he does strike it’s only to set up his wrestling, that’s my analysis of Shamil.”
After a lengthy stint on the sidelines, the 35-year-old revealed his time off from the sport was a “blessing in disguise” but couldn’t deny his burning desire to “fight all year round” as he seeks to become more consistent in 2025.
“If I can get three to four fights in, I would do it, I wouldn’t hesitate,” Nguyen said.
“I’ve been in back-to-back camps. I spent six months of the year (2023) in America doing camp after camp just preparing for Gary Tonon and by the time I fought him I was kind of burnt out.
“We’re back on the workhorse now, it’s been a year since I competed but I can’t wait, I feel like I’ve got that itch in me again and I’m coming to win.”
While ONE Championship does schedule its MMA bouts to take place in the octagon, the organisation frequently opts for a boxing-style square ring. However, ‘the Situ-Asian’ has specifically requested this match be inside the cage.
“If you guys fight a grappler, put it in a cage, I want an even fight,” he said.
“I learnt the hard way in my last fight against Gary Tonon how easy he took me down, how easy it was for him to get the body lock takedown.
“For me to get up was near impossible against one of the best grapplers in the world.”
The Australian-Vietnamese superstar is prepared to endure a “three-round war” but believes he already knows what Gasanov’s game plan will be when the pair step on the canvas.
“It’s going to be like the last 17 fights he’s had, he’s going to shoot, grind in and ride the three-rounder out if he has to, to get his hand raised,” he told Fight News Australia.
“After defending his takedowns I only have a small window to hurt him and there’s just going to be constant scrambles.
“I’ll attack him a lot, I’ll attack him where it hurts the most and then when my window comes I feel like I just need to land one good shot on him then I know he’s going to be out cold — I’m not relying on that —I want to finish the fight but I’m expecting the fight to go all three rounds.”
While Nguyen isn’t looking past ‘the Cobra’, he does see himself fighting out the remainder of his contract and feels as though there are plenty of worthy opponents he could soon face as he aims to take back the title one final time.
“I’ve still got about five fights on my contract … there’s a lot of opponents for me in this division so I’m going to try and pump out as many fights as I can,” he said.
“Right now my vision is beating Shamil, after that we’ll see where ONE Championship has me in their plans, but for me, I feel like this will be my last contract.
“I just want to ride off into the sunset on top.”
Watch Martin ‘the Situ-Asian’ Nguyen return to the cage as he seeks to defang Shamil ‘the Cobra’ Gasanov at ONE 171: Qatar on Thursday, February 20 (AEDT) live through 7 Sport or the 7+ app.
