With less than a week to go before the event, ONE Fight Night 18 gets a bit of a shakeup in the main event. Following Elias Mahmoudi’s injury, Superlek Kiatmoo9 will no longer be competing this weekend. Instead, the pivotal featherweight MMA clash between Shamil Gasanov and Oh Ho Taek will now be headlining the event.

Meanwhile, Superlek will still defend his ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Championship, but it will be against Japanese star Takeru Segawa at ONE 165 on January 28 in Tokyo, Japan. Segawa’s original opponent, Rodtang Jitmuangnon, also suffered an injury that forced him to pull out of their match.

It’s time for Shamil Gasanov to take over

The #4-ranked Gasanov came into the world’s largest martial arts organization with high expectations following an undefeated 12-0 record in the ultra-competitive Russian regional circuit. ‘The Cobra’ responded impressively, submitting former top-ranked contender Kim Jae Woong in the first round of his promotional bow at ONE on Prime Video 3 back in October 2022.

He looked to continue his climb up the rankings by taking out top-ranked Garry Tonon at ONE Fight Night 12 in July. After a competitive opening round, the Russian standout’s leg got caught in “The Lion Killer’s” trap and he ultimately had no choice but to tap out. 

Fueled by a burning desire to redeem himself and resume his chase for ONE gold, Gasanov will do whatever it takes to get back in the win column. Standing in his way will be Oh, a certified finisher who is looking to establish himself in the global stage. 

“Spider” owns nine victories in his professional MMA career, with seven not needing the judges’ scorecards. He earned a tough split-decision victory over Japanese standout Ryogo Takahashi in his first match with the organization at ONE on Prime Video 2 in November 2022. 

How will this match turn out?

Five months later at ONE Fight Night 8, he found himself on the wrong end of a first-round knockout against Kyrgyzstan’s Akbar Abdullaev. The South Korean warrior will be motivated to show that he belongs among the planet’s elite by picking up a win against a ranked contender in Gasanov. 

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The winner of their match could be in prime position to challenge for the division’s top prize, which will be decided at ONE 166: Qatar on March 1 as reigning king Tang Kai runs it back against interim champ Thanh Le in a World Title unification bout. Who would you bet your money on?

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