Shamil “The Cobra” Gasanov

Shamil Gasanov has all the skills needed to become an MMA World Champion, and that’s exactly what he’s hoping to achieve in ONE Championship. 

The Russian rising star is a prodigious talent with a solid all-around repertoire. However, the discipline that kicked off his martial arts voyage in Dagestan – like most of his compatriots – is freestyle wrestling.

Gasanov was introduced to the combat sport during his adolescence and has never looked back. His unswerving commitment eventually led him to other disciplines and greater heights. “The Cobra,” as he is called, garnered a trio of pankration titles in Russia and soon thereafter, he became a two-time European Grappling Champion and World Grappling Champion.

In 2014, he officially launched his professional MMA career. Representing the Peresvet Fight Team in Rostov-on-Don, “The Cobra” had a flawless start and decimated the competition. He went 12-0 on the regional scene, earned an 83 percent finishing rate, and capped off his undefeated run with the ProFC Featherweight Title.

Should he leave the Circle with another victory, the undefeated Russian will break into the top-five rankings and perhaps even get the next crack at the ONE Featherweight World Title.