At ONE Fight Night 18, Shamil Gasanov is hoping to make the most of his main event spot, but the Russian contender is aware that he cannot undervalue the contributions that Oh Ho Taek brings to the ONE Championship circle.
This Friday, January 13, the No. 4 ranked contender will compete against the South Korean star at the first event of a loaded 2024 for ONE Championship. The event will be broadcast live in American primetime from the legendary Lumpinee Boxing Stadium.
After suffering his first loss of his professional career in July of last year, when he was defeated by Garry Tonon, a previous challenger for the featherweight MMA world title at ONE Championship, the Peresvet Fight Team and Tiger Muay Thai representative has not taken any shortcuts in preparation for what is expected to be another challenging assignment.
During the most of his fight camp, he has been on his toes, and he is aware of Oh’s adaptability based on footage from past fights. During a recent interview with the organization, the 32-year-old fighter explained his perspective on the all-around arsenal that his opponent possesses.
According to Shamil Gasanov:
He possesses a variety of fighting talents, including punching, grappling, and submission, making him a well-rounded fighter.
In point of fact, the Extreme Combat representative is a proficient in a wide variety of skills. That was exactly what he demonstrated in his first fight, which took place in October 2022 at ONE on Prime Video 2 and was against the heavyweight Ryogo Takahashi.
However, ‘Spider’ was unsuccessful in his attempt to enter the featherweight ranks after suffering a loss to Akbar Abdullaev in the first round of the previous year.
Both athletes will enter this marquee competition with the intention of regaining their winning ways, as they will be coming into this competition with a loss still fresh in their thoughts and records.
Shamil Gasanov, on the other hand, is eager to put his loss to Tonon behind him and seize the opportunity to go up the rankings from that position. He is excited about the prospect of doing so.
Those fans in North America who have an active subscription to Amazon Prime Video will be able to watch the whole ONE Fight Night 18 event live and for free throughout the primetime hours of the United States this coming Friday.
Watch: Shamil Gasanov’s blitzing debut against Kim Jae Woong
When Shamil Gasanov, a Russian destroyer, made his promotional debut against Kim Jae Woong, also known as “The Fighting God,” at ONE on Prime Video 3 in 2022, he did not leave any room for doubts about what his primary source of income is.
Immediately, Shamil Gasanov pushed Kim into reverse gear and shot in for a double-leg takedown. Kim was immediately taken down. “The Cobra” rapidly switched to his back and wrapped his arms and legs around his opponent in order to finish out the fight with a rear-naked choke in the first round, despite the fact that the South Korean first defended himself quite well.
The statement performance that he gave catapulted him into the rankings almost immediately and brought his total number of victories to thirteen. In addition to that, the boxer who is stationed in Dagestan was awarded a substantial performance bonus of fifty thousand dollars.
