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One signs up former Survivor contender Bi Nguyen

After a stint in Survivor, Bi Nguyen is set to conquer One Championship. Mike Jackson/ESPN (file photo)
By Ivan Saldajeno

MANILA--Mixed martial arts fans who also happen to follow the reality show "Survivor" are in for a treat as Bi Nguyen formally joined One Championship.

Fresh from a stint in "Survivor: David vs. Goliath", which is currently being aired in America and in other countries, Nguyen quickly took her talents back to the cage, and from having to live and fight for a chance at a million dollars in Fiji, she will now brave the hard-pounding action of the Singapore-based MMA promotion which has been steadily on a rise.

"I foresee her as the next superstar in mixed martial arts who will represent Vietnam on the global stage because of her exceptional talent and impressive skill set," One chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong said on Thursday about the 29-year-old Vietnamese pugilist currently based in Houston. "Along with One featherweight world champion Martin Nguyen, Bi Nguyen will be an essential part of One Championship’s efforts to bring the organization closer to the Vietnamese people."

The said signing came as One gears up for its first foray in Vietnam in September next year.

Currently playing in the women's atomweight division, Bi Nguyen will become part of One's most stacked women's division consisting of Filipino stalwarts Jomary Torres and Gina Iniong and reigning champ Angela Lee of Singapore.

In fact, a person privy of the situation told Dugout Philippines that Lee has long been in Nguyen's radar.

Nguyen had a bright start to her professional career, scoring three straight wins.

However, she has lost three of her last four fights since then, the last being a submission loss to Jayme Hinshaw on July 22 (Philippine Time) in her first world title shot, the King of the Cage atomweight title at KOTC: Perennial in Denver.

Nguyen had an early good run in Survivor: David vs. Goliath, which began on March 29.

But an apparent medial cruciate ligament sprain she suffered during an immunity challenge forced her to leave the game after just 10 days out of a supposed 39.

A Grade 1 MCL sprain usually takes up to two months to be fully healed, costing her time to prepare properly against Hinshaw.

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