“This guy stepped up to the plate” – Shamil Gasanov lauds "true warrior" Oh Ho Taek for signing the dotted line

Shamil Gasanov praised Oh Ho Taek for accepting a fight against him.

Gasanov made his ONE debut in October 2022. At the time, the Russian was undefeated and quickly put the division on notice with a first-round submission win against the durable Kim Jae Woong at ONE Fight Night 12.

In July 2023, Gasanov returned with hopes of securing a ONE featherweight MMA world title shot by defeating Garry Tonon. Unfortunately for ‘The Cobra,’ Tonon silenced the doubters that night by securing a second-round submission win.

On January 12, Gasanov will return to action with plans to remind everyone how dangerous he is. To do so, ‘The Cobra’ must get through Oh Ho Taek, who holds a promotional record of 1-1 after coming up short against Akbar Abdullaev in March 2023.

During an interview with ONE, the dangerous Russian featherweight had this to say about Oh stepping up to fight him at ONE Fight Night 18:

“My opponent is a true warrior. A lot of fighters rejected my challenge. Only this guy stepped up to the plate, and I’m incredibly grateful for his willingness to face me.”

ONE Fight Night 18 will air live on US Primetime free of charge for existing Prime Video subscribers in North America.

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Shamil Gasanov opens up about wanting to retire after losing against Garry Tonon

Shamil Gasanov seemed destined for ONE featherweight MMA gold before Garry Tonon halted his plans. Gasanov’s loss at ONE Fight Night 12 was more than a setback, as the Russian endured a mental battle after his first professional MMA defeat.

During a recent interview with ONE, Gasanov opened up about wanting to retire after his disappointing performance against Tonon:

“Yes, on the way home, I thought, ‘That’s it; I’m not going back to fighting again!’ I’d always told myself that if I lost, I would leave the sport… Back home, every kid, every schoolboy on the street, came up to me and asked me when I was going to have a rematch with the American. So now, I simply must have a rematch.”

There has been a change in schedule due to Superlek being moved from the ONE Fight Night 18 main event to the ONE 165 main event. Therefore, Gasanov could have a massive opportunity to showcase his world-class skills in Friday’s headliner against Oh Ho Taek.