All the hype surrounding Shamil Gasanov’s talent is real.
Last Friday at ONE on Prime Video 3, Gasanov destroyed the No. 2-ranked contender ‘The Fighting God’ Kim Jae Woong via submission, completing his promise of ending the fight early in the first round.
The ‘Cobra’s’ jaw-breaking performance earned him a well-deserved $50,000 USD bonus at the end of the night, and the first thing on Gasanov’s mind was to put that money to good use.
He exclusively told ONE Championship:
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“I am going to give it to my parents, who have been very supportive of me all these years. They can spend it as they wish. I am going to collect my fee and head back to Thailand to train for my next bouts.”
Watch his post-fight interview below:
Gasanov’s dominant debut put the stacked featherweight division on notice, needing only two minutes to show that he’s good enough for a world title opportunity. Like the rest of his MMA career, the 27-year-old is steamrolling his way through opponents like butter.
With his latest win, he earned the No.5 spot in the rankings and extended his eight-year winning streak to 13-0.
To help him celebrate his first achievement on the grand stage are his friends and family who have supported him since day one. In the same interview, Shamil Gasanov spoke about the first phone call he received after winning:
“My parents called me first, and then my friends. They all stayed up to watch me fight. It felt great.”
Shamil Gasanov says joining ONE Championship was always his dream
Growing up, Shamil Gasanov was inspired by a whole slew of Russian athletes before making a name for himself on the European circuit. He took note of all past and current world champions, including those in ONE Championship, and knew he wanted to emulate their pathway to success.
Feeling strongly about becoming a world champion someday, Gasanov knew he was destined to join the ONE Championship roster.
He told ONE:
“When I was younger, I heard about this league and dreamed of joining ONE. I remember watching the fight between Timofey Nastyukhin and Dagi Arslanaliev. From that fight on, I began following ONE more than any other promotion.”
