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Fresh off his second victory under the ONE Championship banner, Shamil Gasanov is eager to make a return to the global stage in the shortest time possible – even if it means taking on fresher talent outside the top-five chart.
The fourth-ranked featherweight MMA contender got back into the winner’s column with a decisive unanimous decision win over Oh Ho Taek in the main event of ONE Fight Night 18 last Friday, January 12.
For three rounds, the Dagestani grappling sensation brought the fight to his South Korean foe, coming close with a finish through a couple of rear-naked choke attempts.
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Though he didn’t get the finish he would have liked, it was a confident performance from the Peresvet Fight Team and Tiger Muay Thai to reverse fortunes from his last outing.
Looking into the future, Shamil Gasanov said he’s more than happy to face anyone above and below him as long as it moves him closer to the featherweight world title.
‘The Cobra’ said:
“I can take up the fight with all the guys. At the same time, I know the guys at the top like to take a long rest after their fights. If there are other people not in the top five too, I'm looking forward to them too.”
Watch the full interview here:
With his win at ONE Fight Night 18, the 28-year-old should have done enough to solidify his spot in the rankings.
Shamil Gasanov-Garry Tonon II must happen in the future
Shamil Gasanov’s only defeat under the ONE spotlight came against Garry Tonon. But with a commanding win at ONE Fight Night 18 last week, the Russian grappling specialist should explore an option to run it back against the American ground game technician.
In their first encounter at ONE Fight Night 12 in July last year, Tonon and Gasanov got entangled in an even fight on the canvas.
But ‘The Lion Killer’s acumen eventually proved too much for the former as he finished the fight with a precise kneebar at 2:26 of round two.
Tonon, the top-ranked featherweight contender, will have his hands full as he returns to take on Martin Nguyen at ONE 165 in Japan on January 28.
Should he clear the former divisional king, Shamil Gasanov could be an interesting challenge before either move to a potential title shot against Thanh Le or Tang Kai.
