How Shamil Gasanov found his way to martial arts as a young boy in Dagestan: “I always wanted to be the best”

Shamil Gasanov was introduced to martial arts in Dagestan at an early age. Since then, he always knew it was a path that he wanted to take and excel in.

The 29-year-old Peresvet Fight Team/Tiger Muay Thai standout spoke about in a recent interview with ONE Championship ahead of his scheduled fight this week in Thailand. He highlighted that he also dipped his hands in boxing early on but it was in freestyle wrestling where he found his true calling.

Gasanov shared:

"In my village, you could go to boxing or freestyle wrestling. However, at that time, boxing was just developing, it was a novelty, and our fathers had practiced wrestling before, so it was the more logical choice. I liked wrestling, even though I often lost, but I always wanted to be the best and to be the winner. I had to train again and again, and so I kept on growing in this sport."

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His wrestling journey eventually led him to competing in MMA. In 2014, he embarked on a professional career in the multifaceted sport and has had a lot of success.

In 2022, Gasanov came on board ONE Championship and sustained his solid campaign, currently holding a 5-1 record on his way to becoming one of the prominent forces to reckon with in the ONE featherweight MMA division.

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Shamil Gasanov looking to secure a world title shot with win at ONE Fight Night 34

Shamil Gasanov believes he is due for a world title shot in ONE Championship. He is looking to further underscore it with another emphatic win in his scheduled match this week.

'The Cobra' is set to take the ring at ONE Fight Night 34: Eersel vs. Jarvis on Prime Video on Aug. 1 at the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. He will battle American Garry Tonon in a featherweight MMA rematch.

In the same interview with ONE Championship, Gasanov pointed out that he is using the match to make a stronger case for a shot at the world title next in an event of a win, against reigning divisional king Tang Kai of China.

Shamil Gasanov said:

"I don't need to fight Tang Kai. For me, he just has what I want… I need the belt. If I beat Garry [Tonon], I should be the next challenger. A good winning run and a title shot only makes sense next."

Shamil Gasanov is currently riding a four-fight winning streak since losing to Tonon by submission (kneebar) in their first encounter in July 2023.

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 Aziel Karthak