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Fifth-ranked featherweight MMA contender Shamil Gasanov kept his place in the rankings with a stellar three-round domination of Aaron Canarte at ONE Fight Night 24 last Friday.
Before this match, 'The Cobra' also dispatched Korean upstart Oh Ho Taek last January, to keep his name in the running for contention in the 155-pound division.
After proving himself against a pair of unranked foes, Gasanov thinks it's only fair to get a shot at opponents above him in the pecking order of the stacked featherweight MMA ranks.
The Russian already has a name in mind, which he revealed in his post-event interview with Sportskeeda MMA's Nick Atkin:
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"I'm tired of defending the top 5 from new names, defending my place [in the rankings] for the second time. Now I want to move up. I want to fight against the names that are above me. One of the most preferred names is Martin Nguyen."
Shamil Gasanov seemed in line for a title shot up until a brutal submission loss to Garry Tonon last year set him back.
While the 28-year-old still seeks redemption against 'The Lion Killer', it appears he's hell-bent on taking on Martin Nguyen first. Gasanov added:
"We were supposed to fight last year. But because of my illness, it didn't happen. I think we should fight here in Bangkok at the end of December. We should fight here. This question should be closed."
The full replay of ONE Fight Night 24 is available on demand for Prime Video subscribers in North America.
Martin Nguyen responds to Shamil Gasanov's call-out
'The Situ-Asian' is also itching to return to the Circle and wouldn't mind having Shamil Gasanov as his dance partner.
The former two-division ONE world champion responded to 'The Cobra's challenge via an Instagram comment on Sportskeeda MMA's post.
Nguyen wrote:
“No bro, I want to fight you in Atlanta. In a cage. No disrespect, just unfinished business. Let’s see if they can make that happen."
Watch Shamil Gasanov's full interview:
