“Two of My Favorite Strikers To Watch” – Martin Nguyen Offers His Thoughts on ONE Fight Night 16 Main Event

Former two-division ONE World Champion Martin Nguyen cannot wait to watch two striking geniuses go head-to-head at the world’s largest martial arts organization’s next event.

Bantamweight Muay Thai king Jonathan Haggerty will face divisional MMA titleholder Fabricio Andrade in a battle for the vacant ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Championship in the main event of ONE Fight Night 16 on Friday, November 3, and it promises to be a barnburner.

Martin Nguyen excited about the upcoming ONE Fight Night 16 event

Ahead of the matchup inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Boxing Stadium, Nguyen shared his admiration for both fighters and admitted that he’s particularly impressed with Andrade’s work. “They’re two of my favorite strikers to watch. Let’s put it this way: In terms of MMA, for sure, I see Fabricio holding the World Title for a long time—a long time. I don’t really see anyone in that division beating him,” he told ONE. “He’s very, very good. Very, very good defense when it comes to wrestling. We haven’t seen his jiu-jitsu or his type of wrestling yet because, you know, he’s just been obliterating everyone on the feet.”

‘Wonder Boy’ is undefeated in ONE Championship, with finishes in all but one of his six wins. Though he has only competed in MMA so far in the promotion, the Brazilian’s striking roots have been key to his success. That said, Nguyen recognizes that Andrade will face a formidable opponent in his upcoming fight. Haggerty is fast and powerful, which has helped him transition seamlessly to bantamweight. “Jonathan Haggerty, he’s moved up from flyweight, and he’s on a tear. Obviously, more power, more speed. It’s very, very scary to stand across from him now,” he explained.

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“This is a kickboxing fight. Everyone would think Haggerty would have somewhat of an advantage. And, on paper, you would think, yeah, 100 percent.” This is what makes this fight so exciting for ‘The Situ-Asian.’ Both men have the fire on their feet and are well-proven in the striking arts.

Picking a favorite for the main event is difficult

Andrade amassed a jaw-dropping record before switching to MMA, and he currently has more experience than ‘The General’ in kickboxing. So, choosing who will leave as a two-sport ONE World Champion on November 3 is proving to be exceedingly difficult for Nguyen. “On paper, if you look at Andrade, he started off in Muay Thai and kickboxing. He’s got a 40-3 record. That’s, like, phenomenal. I think that’s more than Haggerty. So, he is a world-class striker, and it’s very, very hard to pick this bout and a winner, you know,” he said.

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“I think, technically, you’d think that Haggerty would walk away with this. But you can never know because Fabricio is such a sniper, man. You can’t give him any space. Otherwise, he’ll put you out,” he offered. “[Andrade’s] elite when it comes to striking. So that transition, I don’t think it will take too much to transition at all.”