ONE featherweight MMA world champion Tang Kai is ready to resume his journey on the global stage of ONE Championship this Friday, May 15.
The Chinese superstar, his nation’s first-ever male MMA world champion, makes his long-awaited return to action against Russian challenger Shamil Gasanov in the main event of ONE Fight Night 43 on Prime Video. The card will broadcast live in U.S. primetime from Bangkok’s legendary Lumpinee Stadium.
Tang Kai has not competed since his battle against Akbar Abdullaev at ONE Fight Night 27, and the layoff due to injury and other factors has only sharpened his appetite to put on the kind of performance his fans have been waiting years to see.
Speaking to ONE Championship ahead of fight night, the Sunkin International Fight Club representative kept his message refreshingly simple.
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“I just want to fight. I just can’t wait to put on a show for my fans,” Tang Kai told the promotion.
The simplicity behind that statement carries genuine weight.
A world champion who has spent slightly more than a year on the sidelines is the kind of fighter who returns with everything to prove, and he has both the firepower and the home-soil narrative to make May 15 unforgettable.
Gasanov is a serious threat with elite grappling and the kind of stand-up versatility to make life difficult, but Tang Kai’s resume, which features 15 knockouts, speaks to a champion who has historically delivered the most violent performances of his division.
Shamil Gasanov is out to finish Tang Kai in main event clash on May 15
Shamil Gasanov arrives at the maiden world title opportunity of his career on a five-fight winning streak.
The Dagestani combatant has won all of his fights via unanimous decision, but he doesn’t think his ONE featherweight MMA world title challenge will end on the judges’ scorecards.
In a separate interview with the promotion, ‘The Cobra’ boldly declared that he’ll get the job done inside the distance.
“First, I want to take this belt, and then the challenges will be made in the cage. I have several names I would like to meet in the [ring]! I am going to finish this fight by technical knockout,” the challenger told ONE.
North American fight fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription can catch the entire ONE Fight Night 43 card, live in U.S. primetime, for free this Friday, May 15.
Edited by Saiyed Adeem Karim
