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ONE Championship opens its 2024 campaign at its usual hunting ground of the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium with a massive bill topped by a crucial featherweight MMA clash between Shamil Gasanov and Oh Ho Taek.
The two superstars hope to make the most of their chance to impress in their career-first headline event appearance in American primetime this Friday, January 12.
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A victory in Bangkok, Thailand, would be significant for both superstars as they look to minimize the gap to the ONE featherweight MMA world title.
As always, before they go toe-to-toe inside the 'Mecca of Muay Thai' and inch closer to 26 pounds of gold, Sportskeeda MMA's ONE Championship experts give the full rundown of this three-round war and their picks.
Mike Murillo: Shamil Gasanov via rear-naked choke, round two
This is going to be a competitive contest considering a lot is at stake as far as positioning is concerned in the featherweight MMA division. Most surely Shamil Gasanov and Oh will throw everything at each other come fight night to see their respective causes through.
That being said, I’m leaning at Gasanov to take this by submission in the second round, possibly by rear-naked choke.
While Oh can be a handful in the stand-up game, I see ‘The Cobra’ taking the match to the ground where I believe he has an inherent advantage over his South Korean opponent.
Shamil Gasanov lost in his last fight for not exercising enough patience but I do not see that happening this time around. I see him taking his time, being more deliberate, and going for the finish when the opportunity presents itself.
Ted Razon: Shamil Gasanov via rear-naked choke, round two
Fighters need to face setbacks to unleash their greatness, and I believe Shamil Gasanov learned plenty from his disappointing defeat last time out. Unfortunately for Oh, he’ll likely face the best version of the Russian juggernaut.
While ‘Spider’ is a well-rounded fighter capable of taking the fight anywhere, Gasanov has him beat in every category. For one, the Dagestani wrestler has an underrated striking pedigree, which we rarely see due to his insane ground skills.
‘The Cobra’s punishing top game is also still arguably the best in the division, and I doubt the Korean can offer much resistance fighting from his back for the majority of this fight.
Oh is indeed tough as nails, but Shamil Gasanov is a whole different animal. I see the Russian finding a way to get the ‘Spider’s back in the second round and finishing the fight via rear-naked choke.
Vince Richards: Shamil Gasanov via submission
Redemption’s the name of the game when Shamil Gasanov faces Oh in the main event of ONE Fight Night 18.
Gasanov is a submission and grappling specialist who will bring the fight to the ground as quickly as possible. Oh, meanwhile, is a natural striker and will try to look for that decisive knockout finish.
It will be intriguing to see an interesting clash of styles between the two. It will be imperative to Shamil Gasanov to immediately dictate the flow of the match and prevent Oh from going gung-ho on offense.
Still, Gasanov has to be wise in his approach and strike when that opportunity arises.
This match will only end in a knockout if Oh gets the better offensive output, but the South Korean will be in deep trouble once this fight hits the ground.
However, Gasanov is far too smart to be lured into a striking exchange, and he’ll use his wrestling to quickly subdue Oh early in the fight. From that point on, Gasanov could capitalize and lock in his trademark holds to slowly incapacitate Oh.
James De Rozario: Shamil Gasanov via rear-naked choke, round two
‘The Cobra’s' elite grappling will once again be tested when he returns to Bangkok, Thailand, against a guy who ripped through the South Korean scene with his phenomenal ground game techniques.
And with both men possessing a similar passion or penchant to get their opponents out by submission, this three-round fight will be a back-and-forth exchange on the canvas with the Russian and Oh attempting locks, back takes, and holds, for as long as the battle lasts.
However, despite Oh’s skilled grappling prowess, I do not see it being enough for him to take out an athlete of Shamil Gasanov’s caliber on the mat.
The Peresvet Fight Team and Tiger Muay Thai athlete would have learned from his shortcomings in his loss to Garry Tonon, and I expect him pressing for a dominant position from the very first second.
That should force the ‘Spider’ to scramble for an escape or a swap of positions, where Gasanov could move to half guard before he wins the back and the match by a precise rear-naked choke.
