Shamil Gasanov surprised himself with how fast he submitted Kim Jae Woong. Gasanov made his ONE Championship debut at ONE on Prime Video 3. ‘The Cobra’ was immediately matched up against a ranked opponent in Kim and proved that the hype is real. The Russian made a statement by finishing the fight with a first-round submission.
When asked about the win, Gasanov admitted to being surprised:
“Yes, I am very happy with the win! Well, I was aiming for a painful hold, but I didn’t expect to submit him so fast. When I got a hold of him, I knew I would not let him go until the end of the round. Either the round would end in a scuffle, or I'd deliver a submission!”
Gasanov is now the No.5-ranked ONE featherweight after dominating Kim. At 27 years old, ‘The Cobra’ holds a 13-0 record with 11 wins inside the distance. It could only be a matter of time before he competes for the featherweight title.
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Watch Shamil Gasanov submit Kim Jae Woong below:
Shamil Gasanov and Garry Tonon spark rivalry after ONE on Prime Video 3 callout
Shamil Gasanov proved he’s not looking to waste any time after taking out Kim Jae Woong in the opening round. Now that ‘The Cobra’ is ranked, he doesn’t plan on slowing down. After winning at ONE on Prime Video 3, Gasanov called out the No.2-ranked featherweight Garry Tonon. The jiu-jitsu phenom responded on Twitter:
"@shamilcobra says I don't last 5 minutes with him. What do you think? Do I succumb to the mixed martial arts Russian invasion? Or do I break off his leg, use it to fly our flag, and make Ronald Reagan and the American people."
Gasanov was made aware of the comments and responded during an interview with ONE Championship:
“He is nothing more than an American trash talker. If he thinks he can break off my leg, I can rip his head off and mail it back to the States after the fight.”
With Tang Kai taking over the division, Thanh Le looking for revenge, and Gasanov and Tonon starting a rivalry, the ONE featherweight division is heating up. Love him or hate him, ‘The Cobra’ could be the biggest threat in the division.