MANILA, Philippines — If Martin Nguyen would have his way, he won’t be fighting Eduard Folayang this November.
But it was the card the Australian was dealt.
“It’s strictly business,” the 28-year-old featherweight kingpin said.
Nguyen will be challenging Lightweight champion and Team Lakay’s pride Eduard Folayang for the first-ever cross-divisional showdown in ONE Championship.
A victory will put the 9-1 mixed martial artist in the history books as the only figher in the promotion to hold two different division belts.
“I did not want to compete against someone I like,” Nguyen said of his Filipino foe. “I did not want to take away their glory. But opportunities like this do not come around too often.”
“If I refused to do this, someone else was going to compete against him and take away his glory,” he explained.
On the other hand, the tussle proved to be a fulfilment of a personal wish.
"Last year, I set my goals. I said to myself, ‘This year, I want to rematch Marat [Gafurov], take the belt off of him, and become a two-division champion,’” Nguyen shared.
"Following my title win, I took a one-month vacation. But in my mind, I really wanted to compete. I was so eager to return to the cage once more before the conclusion of 2017. My wish came true,” he added,” he shared.
"Now I am in a super bout for the first time ever in ONE Championship history to become a two-division champion. Everything is falling into place. It is appealing to know all hard work pays off,” he said.
Asked about his prediction of the fight, Nguyen confidently shared: “This match is going to be stopped. I would love for it to be a KO, but I see it as a submission or a TKO for Martin ‘The Situ-Asian’ Nguyen, of course.”
The champion-versus-champion clash takes place November 10 at the MOA Arena. — Denison Rey A. Dalupang