5 Things You Might Not Know About Shamil Gasanov

Order UFC 280 "Oliveira vs. Makhachev" exclusively on ESPN+

One Championship seems determined to bet big on Shamil Gasanov.

The 27-year-old Russian prospect will make his organizational debut when he puts his perfect record on the line against Jae Woong Kim in a ONE on Prime Video 3 featherweight feature this Friday at Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Gasanov has raced out to an 8-0 start, drawing attention to himself from far and wide. Only two of his eight opponents—Said Khatiev and Tamerlan Kabulov—have managed to go the distance with him, and the fact that ONE matchmakers have paired him with their No. 2-ranked competitor at 145 pounds in his first appearance under the company’s employ only enhances his stock.

As the unbeaten Gasanov moves closer to his showdown with Kim, here are five things you might not know about him:

1. His youth served him well.

Gasanov made his professional debut at the age of 19 on Sept. 11, 2015, when he needed less than a minute—57 seconds to be exact—to put away Hayetbek Mamadzhanov with a rear-naked choke under the Legion Fight Night banner. He celebrated his 20th birthday 18 days later.

2. He has a well-established mode of operation.

“The Cobra” has delivered six of his eight career victories by submission, four of them via guillotine choke. Gasanov’s list of victims: Mamadzhanov, Akhmed Balkizov, Akop Stepanyan, Artem Luferchik, Nursultan Turduyev and Kurman Turkmenov.

3. A gold rush preceded his arrival.

The grappling-centric Gasanov laid claim to the vacant Professional Fighting Championships featherweight title when he disposed of the aforementioned Balkizov with a first-round rear-naked choke in their PFC 70 headliner on March 27. One Championship announced his signing some five months later.

4. Adventure has been limited.

Not yet a true world traveler, Gasanov has fought outside of his native Russia only once in his eight assignments as a pro. He took out Luferchik with a guillotine choke 44 seconds into their Belarusian Fighting Championship 56 pairing in Minsk, Belarus on July 9, 2020.

5. Pieces are in place for further development.

Gasanov operates out of the Peresvet Fight Team in Rostov-on-Don, Russia. However, he has also spent time at Tiger Muay Thai in Thailand, where he has trained alongside former Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight titleholder Petr Yan and interim ONE heavyweight champion Anatoly Malykhin.