Shamil Gasanov wants to fulfill his promise to his mom: “My ultimate goal is to capture the ONE belt”

No matter the resistance, Shamil Gasanov perseveres for one outcome only: to fulfill the promise he made to his mother.

The surging superstar is expected to return to the global stage on July 14 in a high-stakes featherweight battle against former BJJ ‘bad boy’ Garry Tonon at ONE Fight Night 12: Superlek vs. Khalilov.

After making waves in the MMA community with an exhilarating debut last October, a fight against one of the top dogs in the division was clearly warranted. For Gasanov, this was a long time coming.

He persevered for years to be able to fight in one of the largest combat sports organizations in the world. Now that he’s made it, he won’t stop until he fulfills the promise he made to his mother.

Speaking to ONE Championship this week, Gasanov said:

“My ultimate goal is to capture the ONE belt, as I have promised it to my mom. I also aim to successfully defend the title, God willing.”

The future has certainly become brighter for Gasanov and his family since he joined ONE Championship last year. A $50,000 performance bonus, for instance, has helped him repay his parents for their constancy and years of support.

However, he’s not too caught up with the money. He returned to Thailand for this current fight camp to train with the best strikers and grapplers in the industry.

Unbeknownst to some, Gasanov has been training with the likes of ONE double-world champion Anatoly Malykhin and bantamweight king Fabricio Andrade, to elevate his game in the MMA department.

Therefore, he’s coming into the foray on June 14 at the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium with a purely strategic offensive game. As the event edges closer, expect to see a better version of ‘The Cobra’ yet.

ONE Fight Night 12 is available live and free to all Prime Video subscribers in North America.