Shamil Gasanov happy to overcome "very tough contender" Halil Amir: "I feel very excited about this win"

Russian standout Shamil Gasanov bagged victory number four in the promotion at ONE Fight Night 26, but he was up against a game contender who threatened to ruin his chances last Friday, Dec. 6.

'The Cobra' relied on his bread and butter — his Dagestani fine-tuned grappling — to shut down Turkish slugger Halil Amir across their three-round tie and emerge victorious.

The 30-year-old Turk did have his moments, though. In search of his fourth promotional win and his first at featherweight, 'No Mercy' kept the action tight and sunk in a late D'arce choke in an attempt to score an upset.

Unfortunately for him, Gasanov's experience helped him out with ease, and he continued surviving later efforts by Amir while chipping in with action on his end to impress all three judges at ringside.

Looking back at the victory during a post-fight interview in Lumpinee Stadium with Bangkok Post's Nick Atkin, Shamil Gasanov admitted that though he got his hand raised, Amir did give him a run for his money:

"I feel like the guy that I just fought was a very tough contender. He's top three in the weight category [of] 77 kilos. So I feel very excited about this win."

Watch the full interview here:

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Shamil Gasanov gives himself a seven out of 10 for Halil Amir triumph

Despite being pleased with the win, Shamil Gasanov sees some room for improvement and only gave himself a seven out of 10 for his performance.

Speaking to the media at the post-event scrum, he detailed:

"I'd rate my performance 7 out of 10. Unfortunately, not everything we planned worked out. But I didn't make any major mistakes. Overall, the fight went according to our plan."

His win inside the 'Mecca of Muay Thai' pushed him up to the third spot in the featherweight MMA division.

The ONE Fight Night 26 replay is available for free to North American fans via Amazon Prime Video. Fans around the world can relive the card at watch.onefc.com.