 |
| 2017 is simply Martin Nguyen's year. Mike Romero (file photo) |
By Ivan Saldajeno
MANILA--Last November, Martin Nguyen silenced the Mall of Asia Arena after dethroning Eduard Folayang as One lightweight champion.
[Related Story: Nguyen decks Folayang cold, becomes first 2-division kingpin in One history]
As 2017 draws to a close, the promotion announced him as the fighter that provided the loudest noise.
One listed the Australian-Vietnamese fighter as its outstanding martial artist of the year on Friday.
Nguyen's conquest of Folayang came three months after taking the belt in the featherweight division, where he is more comfortable of, from Marat Gafurov.
[Related Story: Belingon KO's McLaren in all-Filipino clash; Nguyen strikes One gold in KL with own KO of Gafurov]
Both title wins came by knockout, which simply made Nguyen's year brighter.
Meanwhile, Kevin Belingon is also listed in the Top 5, ranking third.
Belingon was 3-0 for the year, highlighted by a knockout victory over compatriot Reece McLaren in August and a dominating victory over Kevin Chung in November.
Aung La N Sang is fifth, Christian Lee is fourth, and Alex Silva is second in the list.
Jomary Torres, who shocked Rika Ishige last August, was an honorable mention in the list.
Follow him on Twitter: @IvanSaldajeno
[Related Story: Nguyen decks Folayang cold, becomes first 2-division kingpin in One history]
As 2017 draws to a close, the promotion announced him as the fighter that provided the loudest noise.
One listed the Australian-Vietnamese fighter as its outstanding martial artist of the year on Friday.
Nguyen's conquest of Folayang came three months after taking the belt in the featherweight division, where he is more comfortable of, from Marat Gafurov.
[Related Story: Belingon KO's McLaren in all-Filipino clash; Nguyen strikes One gold in KL with own KO of Gafurov]
Both title wins came by knockout, which simply made Nguyen's year brighter.
Meanwhile, Kevin Belingon is also listed in the Top 5, ranking third.
Belingon was 3-0 for the year, highlighted by a knockout victory over compatriot Reece McLaren in August and a dominating victory over Kevin Chung in November.
Aung La N Sang is fifth, Christian Lee is fourth, and Alex Silva is second in the list.
Jomary Torres, who shocked Rika Ishige last August, was an honorable mention in the list.
Follow him on Twitter: @IvanSaldajeno
.JPG)
.jpg)
