Shamil Gasanov willing to risk title shot instead of staying idle: “I don’t want to wait”

Some fighters may play the waiting game, trusting that patience will lead them to the right opportunity. However, Russian star Shamil Gasanov isn't wired that way.

The featherweight standout believes he's already earned a world title shot, but with the reigning champion fresh off a defense and recuperating, he refuses to wait around idly:

"I believe I already deserve a title shot," Gasanov said, "but as I understand, the champion just defended the belt in January, and he won't be back for some time after that. I don't want to wait, so I accepted this fight."

Rather than wait for an opportunity to land in his lap, 'The Cobra' is keeping the momentum rolling, taking another fight to make his case undeniable.

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Surging Shamil Gasanov believes the featherweight MMA world title is within his grasp: "It's very close now!"

The strategic thing to do is take the long but safe road to a title shot, carefully picking matchups to minimize risk.

Shamil 'The Cobra' Gasanov, however, is sprinting down the short but dangerous path, bulldozing through anyone in his way to prove he belongs at the top:

"I love training [with] and competing against the best. That always motivates me. The main goal is the title. It's very close now!"

With his high-risk, high-reward mindset, Gasanov is proving that he's not willing to sit around waiting for the opportunity to come.

Instead, he's getting up and chasing it down himself. If he emerges victorious in his next bout, there will be no denying that his time for gold has arrived.

Shamil Gasanov is slated to go up against Martin 'The Situ-Asian' Nguyen in the stacked ONE 171: Qatar card.

The event will take place on Feb. 20 at the Lusail Sports Arena, and international fans can catch the action at watch.onefc.com.