Oh Ho Taek Throws Cold Water on Shamil Gasanov’s Gameplan for ONE Fight Night 18 – “Grappling Is All He’ll Have”

Oh Ho Taek is heading into his upcoming bout filled with confidence that he is more skilled than his opponent. On Friday, January 12, the South Korean fighter will take on #4-ranked Shamil Gasanov. The featherweight MMA clash will be the main event of ONE Fight Night 18, which takes place inside the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

Ahead of their clash, Oh offered his thoughts on his Russian foe in an interview with ONE Championship.

Oh Ho Taek confident about his next fight

Taek said Gasanov doesn’t have a lot to offer apart from his specialty skill, which he believes he’s capable of negating. “He’s strong and known as a wrestling grappler. I think his striking is still lacking. It seems like grappling is all he’ll have for this match,” he said.

“He’ll probably push with his strong wrestling right from the start. I plan to counter him.” That may be easier said than done against a fighter of Gasanov’s caliber, though. ‘The Cobra’ was undefeated in 13 fights before his loss to top-ranked contender Garry Tonon at ONE Fight Night 12 last July.

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The vast majority of his wins have come via submission, which makes him an intimidating figure for any mixed martial artist to face.

Oh Ho Taek aiming for a finish

But Oh isn’t fazed by this, as he sees himself as more well-rounded. “In terms of striking, I believe I have a longer reach with kicks and punches, and I have more weapons. My kicks, takedowns, and grappling are all dangerous,” said the 30-year-old.

“I’ll be looking for a finish, but I’m also considering a decision since MMA has many variables.” Both fighters are hungry to climb up the ladder in the uber-competitive featherweight MMA division.

It was recently announced that interim titleholder Thanh Le and divisional kingpin Tang Kai will rematch to unify the World Title at ONE 166: Qatar on March 1, while Tonon will take on #3-ranked Martin Nguyen at ONE 165: Superlek vs. Takeru in Japan on January 28.

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A win will be crucial for Gasanov if he wants to stay in the hunt for gold. On the other hand, Oh could take his opponent’s spot in the rankings if he scores a decisive win this weekend.