Wazzup Pilipinas!
The largest sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship (ONE), has just announced another blockbuster evening of authentic martial arts action. ONE: QUEST FOR GREATNESS is set to return to the iconic Stadium Negara on 18 August for another spectacular showcase of Asia’s top martial arts talent. In the main event, undefeated ONE Featherweight World Champion Marat “Cobra” Gafurov of Russia puts his world title on the line against top contender Martin “The Situ-Asian” Nguyen of Australia.
Chatri Sityodtong, Chairman and CEO of ONE Championship, stated: “It is always an exciting time in Kuala Lumpur whenever our world-class athletes climb atop Asia’s biggest and grandest martial arts stage. Our warriors are eager to put on a show for fans in Kuala Lumpur, and it is our honor to have them perform in this marvelous city. Marat Gafurov and Martin Nguyen are two of the promotion’s finest featherweights. They have met before, with Gafurov taking victory via submission in their first encounter. This time, however, a better-prepared and refocused Nguyen vows to finally bring the title back to Sydney.”
Marat “Cobra” Gafurov of Dagestan, Russia, is the reigning ONE Featherweight World Champion. An undefeated martial artist with 15 wins and no losses, Gafurov is a high-level grappler with 11 of his wins coming by impressive submission over top-caliber opponents. Rarely challenged and always dominant, Gafurov captured the featherweight title in 2015 with a gutsy victory over former champion Narantungalag Jadambaa in an epic battle. In his last bout, Gafurov defeated Jadambaa once again in a rematch a year later to cement his claim as the undisputed ONE Featherweight World Champion. He will defend his title next against Australia’s Martin Nguyen.
28-yea old Martin “The Situ-Asian” Nguyen of Sydney, Australia, is a former featherweight title challenger with a 8-1 professional record. His only loss came at the hands of reigning ONE Featherweight World Champion Marat Gafurov, when he stepped up to accept their first showdown on just a few days’ notice. None of Nguyen’s victories have gone to a decision, giving him five solid knockout wins as well as three victories by submission. In his last bout, Nguyen defeated Japanese veteran warrior Kazunori Yokota via first-round knockout. Nguyen’s all-around skill set allows him to compete at the highest level as a professional. In a highly-anticipated rematch, Nguyen once again receives a shot at the ONE Featherweight World Championship when he takes on Marat Gafurov for the second time.