ONE Fight Night 34: Shamil Gasanov on the moment he decided to become a fighter: “I had to make a choice”

Russian mixed martial arts star and current third-ranked ONE Championship featherweight MMA contender ‘The Cobra’ Shamil Gasanov was faced with a choice when he was young -- follow the traditional path of a doctor or become a prizefighter.

Today, he is one of the most talented mixed martial artists on the planet.

Speaking to ONE Championship in a recent interview, Gasanov detailed the moment that changed everything:

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"I got admitted to medical college in Rostov and moved there to live. There, I discovered grappling and BJJ, then progressed to MMA and fell in love with the sport. That is when I had to make a choice – to train or to study. I talked to my dad and my brother. We decided that I can study part-time only if I definitely could make sports my career and succeed. So, instead of medicine, I transferred to study economics. You cannot study medicine part-time."

Gasanov is now set to return to action this weekend when he takes on the United States’ ‘The Lion Killer’ Garry Tonon in a highly anticipated rematch.

The two face off in a three-round featherweight MMA clash at ONE Fight Night 34: Eersel vs. Jarvis on Prime Video, which is set to broadcast live in U.S. primetime on Friday, Aug. 1, 2025.

The event takes place at the legendary Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action live and absolutely free with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.

Shamil Gasanov will not accept defeat against Garry Tonon: “I do everything in my power to win the fight”

After suffering a second-round submission loss to ‘The Lion Killer’ Garry Tonon two years ago, ‘The Cobra’ Shamil Gasanov is confident he will get the win this time around when the two meet at ONE Fight Night 34: Eersel vs. Jarvis on Prime Video.

The Russian star told ONE:

“I don't think there's any mental challenge involved for this rematch. My psychology is great. I don't really worry about fights. I do everything possible in training, and I give it my all, 100 percent. When I go out to fight, I do everything in my power to win the fight.”

Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for all the latest news and updates surrounding the event as it happens.

About the author

Dan is an MMA writer with 10+ years of overall experience. Before his ongoing tenure at Sportskeeda, Dan got the opportunity to be at the forefront of the sport by contributing to ONE Championship and Fight Game Asia. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology.

Dan’s connection to MMA started during the early days of the UFC and ONE Championship. He previously practiced boxing and ranks Demetrious Johnson, Anderson Silva, Georges St-Pierre, Jon Jones, and Fedor Emelianenko as the top five MMA fighters of all time.

He has covered several events onsite and on the ground for ONE Championship and hopes to continue doing so. He ensures that he churns out accurate articles by citing only legitimate sources and getting firsthand accounts through exclusive interviews whenever required.

Dan feels MMA fighter pay seems like an issue because it often gets compared to what fighters earn in boxing but that MMA will eventually catch up in the future.

His other interests include soccer and video games.

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Edited by Aziel Karthak