Lion Fight's Andy Nguyen Is Excited To Face Sonia Dinh At Lion Fight 67
Word to the wise, never let a fist fight get in the way of a good vacation.
Lion Fight fan favorite Andy Nguyen made a career out of fighting all the way back in May 2010 in her amateur debut. Fighting three times in South Carolina is fun and all and going 2-1 in your first three is pretty nice, too, but before long, Nguyen began to fall in love with other aspects of MMA, like the globetrotting.
From Louisiana to Niagara Falls, Hawaii, China and many more, nobody can take away Nguyen’s frequent flyer miles or her brief reign as the KOTC atomweight champ.
Tune into @ufcfightpass July, 31st LIVE from Rosolini, Sicily, Italy.
⭐️ Andy “The CrAsian” Nguyen will face Lion Fight newcomer, Sonia Dinh.
⭐️Italy’s own superstar Enrico “The Fog” Carrara defends his Lion Fight World Light Heavyweight title as he faces Patrik Vidakovics. pic.twitter.com/4uJzVw32M5
The 39-year-old has learned a few tricks to the trade along the way.
Tip number 1: If you’re going to fight, take every travel-related fight you can.
It’s not your fault you’ve chosen a career that may give you the chance to explore the world. Take advantage while you can. Get in, get rich, get cultured, get out.
Tip number 2: Arrive late, leave late.
Weight cuts are going to suck and consume most of your fight week. If you’re interested in exploration, request a later return flight.
This upcoming trip will be particularly difficult for the 39-year-old. Not that Nguyen isn’t professional enough to handle a weight cut at this point in her career but in Lion Fight’s premiere fight in Sicily, Italy, it’ll take a little extra effort to fight the temptation of Italian cuisine.
“I’ve never been to Italy, but there’s Italian food instead of sushi,” Nguyen laughed. “When I’m cutting weight, I’m aggravated. I’d rather have a glass of wine to chill out, but I can’t right now.”
One sacrifice that does come with the free travel, however, is the soreness and aches the days following the fight.
Nguyen has never been afraid of a brawl and it has showed since her second professional MMA bout.
“I took an elbow in Trinidad and Tobago,” Nguyen recalled. “They were trying to fix me in the back locker room, which was not sanitized at all, then they took me to the hospital instead. It’s just part of the fight game - you have to be prepared and know it can happen.”
Nguyen has already planned carefully and expects not only a deep dive of Italy after her upcoming bout but also a tour of Greece while she’s in the area. How does Nguyen manage to study both her opponent, Sonia Dinh, and the landscape of the upcoming event? It’s easy. She doesn’t.
“I don’t know anything about her,” Nguyen bluntly said. “I know she’s got a lot of Muay Thai kickboxing matches. She’s 16-7 and I’m 2-2; it should be a good fight. I know she’s Vietnamese. I’m usually the taller Asian when I’m fighting Asian girls, but I know nothing about her.”
After over ten years in combat sports, Nguyen continues to fight high up on most cards and has never been one to mail in a bout. If there’s anybody who knows herself, her game, her grit and her capabilities it’s “The CrAsian.”
As much fun as Nguyen plans on having after the fight, she wants to give the fans the same amount of joy in just five rounds against Dinh.
“I just want to entertain everyone,” Nguyen said. “We’re in the entertainment business and it should be a good fight. I know I don’t have many Muay Thai fights, I’m more of an MMA fighter coming into the Muay Thai world, but I think I’m pretty entertaining.”
Catch Nguyen, Dinh and the rest of the Lion Fight Crew as they take over Sicily, Italy Saturday, July 31, ONLY on UFC FIGHT PASS!
