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.

For Nguyen, he savors the opportunity to become the first two-division world champion in ONE Championship history.

“I like Eduard [Folayang]. I said to myself I did not want to compete against someone I like and take away their glory, but opportunities like this do not come around too often. And, if I refused to do this, someone else was going to compete against him and take his glory. So it is strictly business,” he said.

According to Nguyen, he considers his highly-anticipated championship clash with Folayang as a dream come true.

“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 in the form of this dream match against Eduard Folayang,” he shared.

After signing the bout agreement for the cross-divisional showdown with Folayang, Nguyen immediately headed back into training camp and will train as usual with KMA Top Team in Sydney, Australia to figure out the puzzle that is the ONE Lightweight World Champion.

While the Filipino is a world-class striker, Nguyen has noticed a recurring pattern in his style that could leave him vulnerable in their upcoming title tilt.

“Eduard’s striking is pretty legit. A bit wild, but it works for him. Everyone who gets tagged by Eduard, they walk into every single one of his strikes and put pressure on him. But Eduard is the counter striker, and everyone who comes forward gets hit with a spinning attack, a big right hand, or big kicks,” he explained.

“You have to keep moving against someone like Eduard. If you do not move, then you are a standing punching bag. With my style, I am always moving. If I am going backwards, sideways, or forward, I want to make it hard for him to hit me, and I want to make every bit of my wrestling count,” Nguyen added.

Despite being the taller athlete by a mere three centimeters, Nguyen anticipates being the lighter man on the night of ONE: LEGENDS OF THE WORLD.

Nguyen plans to use that to his advantage, believing his speed and dynamism will be his keys to victory in the five-round championship contest.

“My strength in this match is my pace and my cardio. Eduard has legitimate cardio, obviously, training in Baguio City, but going at the pace I go at, I think he is going to fatigue, and my grappling will get the best of him. He is a strong guy, but I will use his weight against him in this match,” he stated.

Nguyen knows that he has quite the challenge ahead of him, especially since he is heading into Folayang’s home turf of Manila in the Philippines.

However, Nguyen is up to the task and trusts in his plan that he will take home the ONE Lightweight World Championship and write his name in history books.

“It is so surreal, 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.’ I am 75 percent of the way there. I beat Marat, and I got the featherweight belt. 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 stressed.

Although he has a tough test in front of him on 10 November, Nguyen remains optimistic that a decisive outcome will be in his favor at ONE: LEGENDS OF THE WORLD.

“This match is going to be stopped,” he guaranteed. “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.”

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Mindanao Power Supply Restored After Transmission Tower Bombing

Department of Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi immediately convened the Inter-Agency Task Force on Securing Energy Facilities (IATSEF) to coordinate the restoration of the power services in affected areas in Mindanao. This was done following the attack on Transmission Tower 106 along Kibawe and Sultan Kudarat by suspected terrorists at around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday, October 3.

The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP), a member of the IATSEF, was able to tap an alternative power transmission line to temporarily supply the needed electricity. After the bombing of Tower 106, power was temporarily sourced from an alternative route through the Tacurong 69kV line. Because of this, the voltage was being maintained at 45MW due to load limitation.

The NGCP also reported that a rotating load curtailment is being implemented in the franchise areas of Maguindanao Electric Cooperative, Cotabato Electric Cooperative and Palma & Cotelco Light & Power to maintain the delivery of power services in the affected areas.

To improve the delivery of electricity service further, a bypass line is being constructed through an excavation for anchors and the setting up of two sets of Emergency Restoration System from the Baloi Substation. As per NGCP, the completion of the other significant restoration works may take two more days.

Cusi reminded the IATSEF to ensure the safety of the personnel performing the restoration works and asked law enforcers to investigate and arrest the bombers.

 

Pagani Automobili Hypercars: Coming to the Philippines Soon!

For hardcore motorheads, hypercars represent the ultimate in automotive technology, a notch above supercars in terms of performance, technology, design, luxury, exclusivity, and rarity. With price tags in the millions of dollars, hypercars exist only in the rarefied world of the rich and famous, and ordinary mortals might never get to see one in their lifetime, except on a movie screen—or in a scale model box.

Some hypercars offered in the market are the Bugatti Chiron, the Lamborghini Centenario, and the Porsche 918. Exclusively creating only hypercars, Pagani is a marque that many Filipino motorists may not be familiar with. Founded in 1992 by Argentinian Horacio Pagani, the company is based in the Motor Valley, just outside of Modena, Italy, and is manned by just 130 employees.

The Pagani Zonda was first introduced at the 1999 Geneva Motor Show. Although it does not share the names of its customers, it is well-known that Lewis Hamilton owns a purple 2012 Pagani Zonda.

The Pagani Huayra, which was featured in the 2013 Transformers 4 movie, retails for US$2.5-million. It has a top speed of 378kph, and 0-100kph acceleration time is 3.2-seconds. Only about 40 units are built each year.

How do you recognize a Pagani? Its most distinctive feature is the 4-tube exhaust—the Quattro Scarichi, in Italian—coming together in a circle.

There are currently no Pagani hypercars in the Philippines, but that may change very soon!