Survivor star Bi Nguyen primed and ready for One Championship debut in Manila

Survivor reality TV star Bi Nguyen returns to the mixed martial arts cage for her debut with One Championship on Friday night, opening another chapter in a life that has so far already come full to overflowing. “I am thriving off the energy,” Nguyen told the Post, of the event looming ahead. There will be around 15,000 fight-mad Filipino fans at Manila’s Mall of Asia Arena come Friday, and two world title fights on a 14-bout card. That the 29-year-old appears to be taking the occasion – and the sense of expectation – in her stride is a given, really, considering what Nguyen has been through. Walking into that gym was me being reborn Bi Nguyen Nguyen’s life started in the aftermath of the Vietnam War, her father having fought on the losing South Vietnamese side and then living in fear for the safety of he and his family. A move to Oakland, California followed when Nguyen was eight but by 15 she had run away to Houston, ending up in a violently abusive relationship that was only ended when the police dragged her then partner off to jail. Passing an MMA gym in Houston one day, Nguyen found inspiration and salvation through martial arts, taking to the sport and, she readily admits, finding purpose. “Walking into that gym was me being reborn,” Nguyen said. “It stemmed from me not knowing who I was as a young child and going into an abusive relationship. I felt like a shell of a person. Then I fought and I won and all of a sudden I’m an idol to some young girls. That’s complete purpose. This sport breaks you down. But my motivation is I am fighting for all these young girls around the world. If you feel like you are alone, you can turn to a sport or something that creates family and camaraderie. That’s MMA for me.” This much we know about Nguyen. It was played out for the world when she joined the cast of the reality TV phenom that is Survivor for its 37th edition, David vs Goliath, that screened last year. What the world at large hasn’t known, until now, is how Nguyen (4-3) has found the effort needed to fine-tune her focus back on the job at hand – that is, three rounds of atomweight action come Friday against Indonesia’s Dwi Ani Retno Wulan (1-0). “I have been learning about distance,” Nguyen said. “In my previous fights I’ve chased my opponents all around the cage. So it’s learning to be aggressive but in a smart way.” An impressive victory on debut would no doubt have One, and fans, and Nguyen, looking up and down an atomweight division that remains in limbo, of a kind, given title-holder Angela “Unstoppable” Lee (9-1), moved up to strawweight and lost two weeks ago to Chinese champion Xiong “Panda” Jingnan (14-1). Lee looked far more at home up a division, so time will tell is she wants to drop back down again. View this post on Instagram We are exactly a week from fight week guys! I can’t wait to make my @onechampionship. Will you be tuning in LIVE on the app?! • #mma #wmma #onechampionship #train #fight #camp #wrestling #bjj #conditioning #simulation A post shared by Bi Nguyen "Killer Bee" (@killerbeemma) on Apr 5, 2019 at 7:36am PDT “I want to take on the best,” Nguyen said. “That’s why I am here.” That Nguyen’s debut bout is tucked away down on the preliminary cards suggested that One wants to see what sort of talent they have on their hands. Nguyen previously fought with the Kings of the Ring organisation, and is coming off a loss in a atomweight title bout against Jayme Hinshaw (4-3) there last July, via rear naked choke in the second, and a knee injury that forced her to withdraw from her stint on Survivor after four episodes. The Singapore-based organisation is flush with opportunities for fighters, as seen in Tokyo two week’s ago when they unveiled former UFC world champions Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson (28-3-1) and Eddie “The Underground King” Alvarez (29-7, one no contest), and with another rising American welterweight star in Sage “Super” Northcutt (11-2) set to debut at the One: Enter the Dragon card in Singapore on May 17. One Championship: Manila’s turn to join the party as Martin Nguyen puts title on the line “It America, One has always been a bit of a mystery,” Nguyen said. “People know its been here but have not been that sure about it. With the TNT [broadcasting] deal and with that big card in Tokyo, the growth is already tremendous. The fans want something new. I wanted to join One Championship because they highlight who you really are, not just what you do in the cage.” The lead-up to Friday has seen Nguyen tucked away in Thailand, at Phuket’s Tiger Muay Thai gym where she shared space with the likes of UFC stars Valentina and Antonina Shevchenko, and came under the guidance of George Hickman. In Manila, Nguyen has been put through her paces by One’s featherweight champ Martin “The Situ-Asian” Nguyen (11-3), as he prepares to headline Friday’s card against Mongolia’s Narantungalag “Tungaa” Jadambaa (14-5), and One’s middleweight and light champ, the “Burmese Python” Aung La N Sung (25-10, one no contest). One Championship: Eddie Alvarez’s eye ‘exploded from the inside’ – punch ‘instantly blinded me’, says former UFC champion Wulan presents a bit of mystery. One win, via decision against a fellow debutant and Indonesian in Putri Padmi (0-1), so there’s limited form to go on. Nguyen says she’s not one to usually make predictions, but feels the signs so far are that the stars are aligned. “This is the first fight that I have had a dream about,” Nguyen said. “I dreamed that I had a second-round TKO. There’s two people in that cage but that’s what I am seeing.”

Survivor star Bi Nguyen primed and ready for One Championship debut in Manila

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;}Bi Nguyen has a 4-3 fight record as she makes her One debut Will make first One appearance at Manila’s Mall of Asia Arena

Bi Nguyen has a 4-3 fight record as she makes her One debut

Will make first One appearance at Manila’s Mall of Asia Arena