After a light weekend of action in combat sports last week, fans of competitive violence have a full slate of fights to watch for the first time in 2024. It begins Friday night as ONE Championship returns to its North American streaming home of Amazon Prime Video for ONE on Prime Video 18.
Live coverage of the nine-fight card begins at 8 pm ET/ 5 pm PT on Prime Video. This event is noteworthy for our audience in the United Kingdom and Ireland, as it is the first such card from ONE to air on Sky Sports as part of a new media rights deal.
However, there’s been some shuffling to the bout order for Friday night’s card. Initially, the ONE on Prime Video 18 main event was to have been a battle for the ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Championship between Superlek Kiatmoo9 and Elias Mahmoudi before the fight was scrubbed due to the latter sustaining an injury to his rib.
Superlek will still fight for the title, albeit at the end of the month during the ONE 165 main event on Jan. 28 vs. Takeru Segawa in Tokyo.
Featherweight MMA Action the Focus of New ONE on Prime Video 18 Main Event
Instead of the kickboxing bout, MMA action gets the spotlight in the new ONE on Prime Video 18 main event on Friday night at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok. To top the night’s activities, fight fans will see a nontitle affair at featherweight (155 lbs.).
No. 4 contender Shamil Gasanov (13-1 MMA, 1-1 ONE Championship) looks to move up in the top five at 155 when he takes on unranked Oh Ho Taek (9-3-1 MMA, 1-1 ONE Championship) in the restructured headliner. No belt is at stake here, so this contest is only three rounds at five minutes per round.
2024 is the real deal 😎 What's your goal for the year? 🤔 #ONEChampionship pic.twitter.com/XQN3NE4th6
— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) January 6, 2024
ONE on Prime Video 18 Main Event Fighter Comparison
Heading into the ONE on Prime Video 18 main event on Friday night, Oh Ho Taek stands as the taller man at 5-foot-11, compared to the 5-foot-7 frame of Shamil Gasanov. Oh owns a three-inch reach advantage (71 to 68 inches) over Gasanov ahead of this headlining affair.
As of Monday afternoon, the oddsmakers had yet to release money lines for this card. If you plan on betting on this or any other fight this weekend, please wager responsibly.
Shamil Gasanov Hungry for Second Chance at Garry Tonon After ONE on Prime Video 18 Main Event
Shamil Gasanov enters the ONE on Prime Video 18 main event on Friday night, having gone 4-1 in his last five bouts. Most recently, he saw a four-fight winning streak snapped at the hands of Garry Tonon (8-1 MMA, 8-1 ONE Championship) by second-round kneebar submission last July.
Since then, Gasanov has been uncertain about his next move, but in a recent interview with onefc.com, he has a reason to get back in the win column this weekend.
“Yes, on the way home, I thought, ‘That’s it; I’m not going back to fighting again!’ Gasanov began. “I’d always told myself that if I lost, I would leave the sport. But back home, every kid, every schoolboy on the street, came up to me and asked me when I was going to have a rematch with the American. So now, I must simply have a rematch!”
Shamil Gasanov is a man who’s laser-focused on a potential title eliminator with top-ranked Tonon. Still, he must take it one step at a time and focus on the ONE on Prime Video 18 main event before anything else. Looking too far ahead is a dangerous thing for any fighter.
Oh Ho Taek Returns After Nearly 10 Months Away
In the other corner, Oh Ho Taek also sports a 4-1 record over the last five fights. Like Shamil Gasanov, he saw his own four-fight winning streak snapped in his last contest, a first-round knockout in 44 seconds versus Akbar Abdullaev (10-0 MMA, 2-0 ONE Championship) in ONE on Prime Video 8 on March 24, 2023.
He hasn’t fought since that night.
Analysis, Film Study, and Prediction
This looks to be another one of those toss-ups. Both fighters are adept at grappling, so it stands to reason that you can expect a battle on the cage mat on Friday night in the ONE on Prime Video 18 main event.
Look for Gasanov to Attempt a Rear-Naked Choke
Once Shamil Gasanov can get an opponent to the ground, it could be a game, set, and match. He’s known for locking up submissions, like the one against Kim Jae Woong in October 2022.
During the first round of a scheduled three, Kim managed to stuff a takedown attempt, but his momentum was short-lived thanks to Gasanov securing the back clinch and putting him up against the cage fence.
A second takedown attempt proved fruitful, with Gasanov applying the torque to lock in a rear-naked choke in just over two minutes. If he can dump Oh Ho Taek early, the momentum will be on Gasanov’s side in the headliner.
Don’t Discount Oh Ho Taek’s Submission Prowess
In the other corner, Oh Ho Taek is equally impressive on the ground. His fight against Rolando Dy in BRAVE CF 58 is a textbook example.
Round one saw Oh land a few jabs, with Dy returning fire, peppering him with kicks to the leg. Oh’s calf later became compromised, forcing him to respond with punches.
Upon knocking Dy down, Oh moved in and took Dy’s back, finishing off the fight with a rear-naked choke of his own. Watch Oh Ho Taek try to counterstrike against Shamil Gasanov this weekend. If he can counter effectively, Oh will walk out of Bangkok as a winner, and he might have a number next to his name by this time next week.
Final Thoughts
Even though the ONE on Prime Video 18 main event has no title attached to it, this is a fight that cannot be missed. Don’t blink when you watch because you might miss the end.
Prediction: Shamil Gasanov by Unanimous Decision.
