Nguyen ready for jeers as he fights hometown hero Folayang

Jeers will rain down upon Martin Nguyen on Friday night when he challenges Filipino MMA star Eduard Folayang for the lightweight title in the main event of ONE: Legends of the World at Mall of Asia Arena.

And Nguyen likes it that way.

“I’m very excited to be facing the hometown here. I don’t expect anyone from the crowd to be going for me, but you know what? I’ve been the underdog my whole life and this is my story and this is my history down the road,” the Australian fighter told reporters in a press conference Tuesday.

The 28-year-old Nguyen, the current featherweight titleholder, is looking to become ONE Championship’s first double champion.

His shot at history comes just three months after stopping Marat Gafurov, who was previously unbeaten, in a rematch to claim the featherweight belt.

Nguyen, who holds an impressive 9-1 record, is fighting in Manila for the second time after scoring a stoppage victory over Li Kai Wen in August of last year.

But it will be his first time going up against a Filipino here. Although, he said that he’s no stranger to fighting in a hostile environment.

“I’m used to fighting in hostile territory. As I’ve said, I’ve been an underdog my whole career. Coming to another country and fighting the hometown hero is nothing new to me.”