A high-stakes mixed martial arts showdown has been added to the blockbuster ONE 165: Rodtang vs. Takeru fight card.
Former two-division ONE World Champion and current #3-ranked featherweight MMA contender Martin “The Situ-Asian” Nguyen will square off against #1-ranked Garry “The Lion Killer” Tonon at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan, on Sunday, January 28, 2024.
After exchanging barbs on social media for years, the two will finally meet in the Circle, and a ONE Featherweight MMA World Title shot could await the winner.
Tonon is one of the most dangerous grapplers in MMA today. The American BJJ ace holds an 8-1 professional record, owns an 88 percent finishing rate, and finds himself on a two-bout winning streak.
Most recently, “The Lion Killer” handed Shamil Gasanov his first professional loss, forcing the Russian rising star to submit with another one of his signature kneebars in July.
Tonon’s path to redemption continues against Nguyen, as the 32-year-old hunts for another World Title opportunity after falling short to reigning ONE Interim Featherweight MMA World Champion Thanh Le in March 2022 – his only professional MMA defeat to date.
But to get there, Tonon has to get past a hungry former World Champion.
Nguyen is one of the most revered knockout artists ever to compete in the world’s largest martial arts organization. The Vietnamese-Australian superstar holds a 15-6 professional record, possesses an 87 percent finishing rate, and holds the record for most victories in ONE Championship’s featherweight MMA division with 11.
“The Situ-Asian,” who previously reigned over both the featherweight and lightweight MMA divisions, is coming off a massive unanimous decision victory over ultra-tough Brazilian juggernaut Leonardo Casotti in February and, in the process, reminded everyone that he is still a force to be reckoned with.
This upcoming battle between top-three featherweight MMA contenders has fireworks written all over it, and both Le and ONE Featherweight MMA World Champion Tang Kai will certainly pay close attention to this high-stakes encounter.
Stay tuned to onefc.com for more news about ONE 165: Rodtang vs. Takeru.
