“I’ve wanted to face him for a long time” - Shamil Gasanov honored to share the Circle with legendary fighter Martin Nguyen

Fourth-ranked ONE Championship featherweight MMA contender 'The Cobra' Shamil Gasanov of Russia has always only wanted to face the biggest names in the world's largest martial arts organization.

And this Thursday night, he gets to fight the original 'champ-champ' in Vietnamese-Australian 'The Situ-Asian' Martin Nguyen.

Speaking to ONE Championship in a recent interview, Gasanov talked about fighting Nguyen and how easy it was to make that decision.

'The Cobra' said:

"Moreover, Martin is a legend, and I’ve wanted to face him for a long time. I feel great, I didn’t get any injuries in my last fight, so I agreed right away."

Nguyen is the former ONE featherweight and lightweight MMA world champion and a legend in the promotion. A victory for Gasanov over 'The Situ-Asian' would boost the Russian's stock immensely and could position him for a shot at the world title.

'The Cobra' is currently 4-1 in ONE Championship and is running on a three-fight winning streak. Recent wins over Oh Ho Taek, Aaron Canarte, and Halil Amir have placed Gasanov on an incredible run.

His only loss came against the United States' Garry Tonon in 2023.

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Shamil Gasanov to face Martin Nguyen at ONE 171: Qatar

Russian standout 'The Cobra' Shamil Gasanov is set to battle former two-division king 'The Situ-Asian' Martin Nguyen in a pivotal three-round featherweight MMA contest.

The two do battle at ONE 171: Qatar, which will broadcast live from the Lusail Sports Arena in Lusail, Qatar, on Thursday, February 20.

Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action live and absolutely free on watch.onefc.com.

Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for all the latest news and updates surrounding the event as it happens.