ONE Championship: Thanh Le knocks out Martin Nguyen to claim featherweight title at Inside the Matrix
- Vietnamese-American shocks the former champ with third-round comeback after ‘The Situ-Asian’ had seemingly rocked him
- ‘The pressure was beautiful but that’s what gets you knocked out by me, stepping into that zone where I gotta hit you,’ says Le
Thanh Le shocked the world of ONE Championship after knocking out Martin Nguyen in the third round to win the featherweight title at Inside the Matrix in Singapore.
Nguyen had dominated the fight for two and a half rounds, putting intense pressure on Le and rocking him before the Vietnamese-American caught him on the button. “The Situ-Asian” (13-4) dropped to the floor and tried to go for the clinch, but Le (12-2) kept the punches coming and got him out of there.
“Man, it feels great, a million emotions running through me right now,” 35-year-old Le said in his post-fight interview. “I just want to say thank you to Martin and his team. I’m pretty sure I broke both of my hands.
“He’s champ for a reason, I know I’m gonna see him again in a few damn months. Come on, I’m ready. I know you’re ready. Thank you for the match.
It was a tense start to the opening round for Le, with Nguyen stalking the challenger around the Circle. The former Dana White’s Contender Series competitor could only catch the champ with a couple of kicks – and a low blow.
Nguyen’s corner told him “stay there” in the second round, keeping Le on the outside. And then it was Le’s turn to get hit below the belt.