“He was a one-tricky pony” – Martin Nguyen not at all impressed by Shamil Gasanov’s win over Oh Ho Taek

Former two-division titleholder Martin Nguyen was less than impressed with Shamil Gasanov’s victory over Oh Ho Taek at ONE Fight Night 18.

Gasanov earned his 14th career victory at the promotion’s first event of 2024, securing a decisive unanimous decision victory over the South Korean standout.

‘The Cobra’ largely relied on his smothering ground attack, but to his credit, Oh Ho Taek held his own on the ground, repeatedly reversing his position and fending off Gasanov's offense.

In the end, Gasanov’s never-ending pressure was enough to secure the victory and put himself back into the featherweight title picture.

Speaking with the South China Morning Post, Nguyen was not exactly thrilled with Gasanov’s win, calling the Russian a one-trick pony. He said:

“Shamil is obviously a great opponent. He’s 13 and 1 or 14 and 1 now. But what I took away from it, I didn't watch that fight live, I had to rewatch that fight, and watching that fight, I felt like he was a one-trick pony. No disrespect, but I felt like his grappling didn't go his way.”

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Can Martin Nguyen stop Garry Tonon's momentum at ONE 165?

On Sunday, Jan. 28, Martin Nguyen will look for a second straight win inside the Circle when he meets submission specialist Garry Tonon as part of the promotion’s return to Japan.

‘The Situ-Asian’ has struggled to find the win column in recent years, but a solid performance against Leonardo Casotti appeared to be a turning point for the ONE legend.

His opponent, Tonon, enters the bout riding back-to-back submission victories over Johnny Nunez and Gasanov. With one more big win, ‘The Lion Killer’ could find himself in line for another shot at the coveted featherweight MMA world championship.

Who comes out on top when ‘The Situ-Asian’ meets ‘The Lion Killer’ in Tokyo’s Ariake Arena?

ONE 165 airs live on Sunday, January 28, via global pay-per-view at watch.onefc.com.