ONE Fight Night 34: Shamil Gasanov was inspired by fellow Russians to join ONE Championship: “I heard about this league and dreamed of joining”

The featherweight MMA fighter, Shamil Gasanov, said that fellow Russian fighters served as inspiration for him to join ONE Championship. It was a decision he believes has served him well as he continues with his professional career.

'The Cobra' is now nearly three years into his journey in the "Home of Martial Arts." He has had a lot of success, boasting of a 5-1 record to date, and is widely regarded as one of the top featherweight fighters in the promotion.

In an interview with ONE Championship, 29-year-old Gasanov shared what piqued his interest and made him gravitate towards the organization, citing, in particular, the high level of competition involving fellow Russian fighters he got to watch early in his martial arts journey.

The Peresvet Fight Team/Tiger Muay Thai affiliate said:

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"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. I got convinced after I had seen Marat Gafurov’s and Vitaly Bigdash’s [World Title] belts."

Shamil Gasanov is currently the No. 3-ranked contender in the ONE featherweight MMA division. He is making a strong push to finally land a world title shot and take his ONE Championship campaign to a whole new level.

Shamil Gasanov looks to make it five wins in a row at ONE Fight Night 34

Shamil Gasanov returns to action this week, looking to extend his winning streak to five wins and maintain his standing as a notable force in the ONE featherweight MMA division.

The Dagestani powerhouse is featured in a marquee featherweight clash against American Garry Tonon at ONE Fight Night 34: Eersel vs Jarvis on Aug. 1 at the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

Heading into the three-round contest, Gasanov has strung up four straight victories, which have solidified his claim as a bona fide contender for the world title currently held by Tang Kai of China.

Shamil Gasanov's latest victory came in February in Qatar, where he defeated former featherweight king Martin Nguyen by decision.

The showdown against Tonon is a rematch of their first encounter in July 2023 that had 'The Lion Killer' winning by submission (kneebar), leaving Gasanov with added motivation to come up with a win come fight night.

ONE Fight Night 34: Eersel vs Jarvis is available live at U.S. primetime to North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.

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Edited by Himakshu Vyas