Martin “The Situ-Asian” Nguyen, 28, of Australia and Vietnam completed his climb to the top of ONE Championship’s competitive 70.3-kilogram weight class by clinching a prestigious martial arts gold against a fierce Russian rival. He knocked out the previously unbeaten mixed martial artist Marat “Cobra” Gafurov of Dagestan, Russia in their rematch and laid claim to the featherweight crown in the main event of “ONE: Quest for Greatness” at the Stadium Negara in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on August 18, 2017.
Recognizing an opening, Nguyen countered Gafurov’s low kick with an overhand right that knocked out the Dagestani grappler at the center of the ONE Championship cage. The sweet victory was about more than just the belt for the new champion, instead it was all for his family.
While Nguyen may have been a menace during his adolescence, he never had to look far to find inspiration and set himself on the right path. For him, it was right at home and came in the form of the man he called dad.
“My dad worked hard just for us to get by,” Nguyen shared. “We were not the richest family, and we were not as poor as other people out here, but we got by. He was my sole inspiration to work hard, just the way he was able to provide for his family.”
While Nguyen’s father was not particularly fond of his son stepping into the cage, he watched with a keen eye and supported him nonetheless. In July 2012, he made his professional MMA debut and proved to be quite the talent as soon as the bell rang.
Nguyen was flawless, winning every bout en route to capturing the BRACE featherweight championship belt in November 2013. Like a good son, he brought the belt to his father shortly after winning it.
“My dad looked at it,” Nguyen recalled. “He was all happy and taking pictures with it. It was awesome and then he said, ‘Alright, you got the belt now. Enough. Just call it quits.’ No parent likes to see their child getting injured in a match or anything like that, so he said, ‘Enough now. No more.’”
Sadly, it was the last thing Nguyen’s father said to him with regard to his professional martial arts career as his dad tragically passed away just a few weeks later. The Australian-Vietnamese MMA fighter’s father had undergone a bone marrow transplant so he could get more white blood cells into his body.
The procedure was initially a success but the healing process taking longer than usual. As doctors were preparing to do more testing, Nguyen’s father contracted the flu and that eventually turned into pneumonia and took his life.
“I never experienced any hardship or heartbreak until then and I will never forget that day,” Nguyen said. “He was in Melbourne at that time so I flew into Melbourne to see him. Everything was happening so fast, and then he was gone. I did not even get to speak to him, and there are a lot of things I wish I could have said to him. It was heartbreaking.”
Nearly four years later, Nguyen still carries the loss of his father like an anchor around his neck. Even though he is constantly reminded of his dad, he knows that his world-title winning performance was a fitting way to pay tribute to him.
With tears streaming from his eyes, Nguyen kneeled at the center of the ONE Championship cage, basking in the adulation poured upon him. While the sought after belt is draped over his shoulder, he expressed a wondrous rhetoric in his post-bout interview.
“This is for my dad,” Nguyen declared. “He was my inspiration for the whole camp when I mentally broke. (He and) the boys kept me together.”
Two days after the victory, Nguyen visited his father’s grave with the belt. He said, “I am doing this all for him.”
“One big title to put the icing on the cake,” Nguyen continued. “It’s the only thing I wanted to do once I got home. I hope he is so proud right now.”
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