“Ready for any opponent” - Shamil Gasanov prepping himself beyond tricky Martin Nguyen test at ONE 171: Qatar

Russian standout Shamil Gasanov is pulling out all the stops for his upcoming clash with former two-division ONE world champion Martin Nguyen.

Following a trio of victories that has seen him score decision wins over Oh Ho Taek, Aaron Canarte, and Halil Amir, Gasanov will look to make it four in a row this Thursday, February 20 at ONE 171: Qatar inside the Lusail Sports Arena.

Standing in his way will be Nguyen, one of ONE Championship's most beloved and accomplished athletes.

To prepare himself for one of the toughest tests of his career, Gasanov has been training alongside some of the absolute best in the business.

Gasanov told the promotion:

"My preparation will take place in Rostov at the 'Peresvet' gym, which I’ve been representing for many years, as well as in Bahrain with the KHK MMA team...Alexander Shabliy and other guys from Dagestan will help me. I train with fighters of various styles, which allows me to be ready for any opponent."

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Shamil Gasanov believes a win over Martin Nguyen puts him in line for a title fight

Already sitting as the fourth-ranked contender in the ONE featherweight MMA division, Shamil Gasanov believes that a win over 'The Situ-Asian' in Qatar will put him next in line for a shot at the division's top prize.

Gasanov continued:

"I think if I beat Martin Nguyen, I’ll be next in line for a title shot...Don’t miss this event! You’re in for an exciting and uncompromising fight."

Gasanov is 4-1 under the ONE Championship banner and 16-1 overall, his lone loss coming against 'The Lion Killer' Garry Tonon at ONE Fight Night 12.

Meanwhile, Martin Nguyen will look to climb back into the win column after his own loss against Tonon at ONE 165 in Tokyo last year. The Vietnamese-Australian star has 15 career wins to his credit, including wins over Christian Lee, Marat Gafurov, and Eduard Folayang.

Will Nguyen add another noteworthy name to his resume in Qatar, or will Gasanov set himself up as the featherweight MMA division's next legitimate title contender?

ONE 171: Qatar will emanate from the Lusail Sports Arena in Qatar on Thursday, February 20. Head over to watch.onefc.com to learn more about how you can watch the event live.