Shamil Gasanov unimpressed with Martin Nguyen’s grappling

At ONE Fight Night 7 on Prime Video, undefeated Russian Shamil Gasanov will face the biggest name of his career when he takes on Martin Nguyen.

A victory on February 24 over the former simultaneous two-division world champion could catapult Gasanov into a world championship fight or at least a title eliminator bout. Both Gasanov and Nguyen know what could be at stake in this fight, with both men coming in at very different points in their careers.

Martin Nguyen has struggled for consistency in recent years, while Shamil Gasanov is undefeated through his 13 professional bouts, which includes his ONE Championship debut against Kim Jae Woong. Whilst the fight only lasted just over two minutes, Gasanov showed off his impressive grappling skills that he will look to use against his upcoming opponents.

In an interview with ONE Championship, Gasanov showed respect for Nguyen’s credentials, but he is still confident that once they lock the cage door, he will prove himself to be the superior grappler:

“I have a purple belt so far. I haven't even been evaluated for a brown belt, but I've been competing against brown and black belts since 2015. I think he deserved to get his brown belt. He understands both grappling and BJJ. I think he trains in both disciplines. But I've been rolling with black belts for five to six years and for me his brown belt is not an obstacle. But he is a serious contender that you have to be wary of in a good way.”

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Shamil Gasanov dreamed of joining ONE after being inspired by fellow Russian stars

For the undefeated Shamil Gasanov, competing inside the circle was a big aspiration in his career. Seeing his fellow Russian countryman compete under the ONE Championship banner with plenty of success motivated Gasanov to follow in their footsteps. Though he has only spent just over two minutes in competition since signing with the promotion, it’s already clear that he is on his way to realizing his dreams and ambitions.

In an interview with ONE Championship, Shamil Gasanov spoke about his determination to compete inside the circle after watching the fighters that came before him:

"When I was younger, I heard about this league and dreamed of joining ONE. I remember watching the fight between Timofey Nastyukhin and Saygid Dagi Arslanaliev. From that fight on, I began following ONE more than any other promotion. I got convinced after I had seen Marat Gafurov’s and Vitaly Bigdash’s [world title] belts."

ONE Championship fans are yet to see the very best of Gasanov, but they were treated to a glimpse of what is capable of in his ONE Championship debut, where he submitted the No.2-ranked contender Kim Jae Woong in the opening round.

Watch Shamil Gasanov's statement-making ONE debut finish below:

ONE Fight Night 7, which features the match between Martin Nguyen and Shamil Gasanov, will be held inside the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on February 24. All the action will be broadcast live and for free on U.S. primetime via Prime Video to Amazon subscribers in North America.