Oh Ho Taek has an unexpected opportunity to headline ONE Fight Night 18 on Friday, January 12, and position himself as a threat to the crown in ONE Championship’s featherweight division.
After Superlek Kiatmoo9 dropped out to replace Rodtang Jitmuangnon at ONE 165 against Takeru Segawa, the South Korean was elevated to the main event against Shamil Gasanov.
Knowing the credentials his opponent brings to the table, “Spider” is motivated to pick up the biggest win of his career.
“While my opponent is strong, I’m more motivated to win against a stronger opponent than I would be against a weaker one,” Oh told ONE.
Gasanov has routinely shown his grappling abilities, which was why he wanted to challenge Garry Tonon. Entering this match, Oh has similar aspirations to prove his ground game against his Russian foe.
But “Spider” won’t force the issue and will only try to take it to the mat when he feels comfortable.
“Although I’m an all-rounder, in this match I want to see who’s better at grappling, which is Gasanov’s strength,” Oh said.
“I’ll want to take it to the ground once my body warms up, and I’d like to see who’s better there. I’ll persistently grapple to see who’s better until the end.”
Oh notes where he believes “Cobra” is best, but he also thinks he knows where his weaknesses lie. The South Korean star enters with a gameplan to shut down Gasanov’s wrestling and put him in a position to dictate where the action takes place.
“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,” the 30-year-old remarked.
“He’ll probably push with his strong wrestling right from the start. I plan to counter him.”
Although he wants to showcase his ground game against one of the elite grapplers in the division, Oh won’t mind flashing his power on the feet.
Oh plans to utilize his length and take a knockout if the chance comes. However, he is more than fine putting in a full fight’s worth of work to get his arm raised on the scorecards at ONE Fight Night 18 on Prime Video.
“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,” Oh said.
“I’ll be looking for a finish, but I’m also considering a decision since MMA has many variables.”
ONE Fight Night 18 airs live on Friday, January 12, on Prime Video. The action begins at 8 p.m. EST/5 p.m. PST and is free for all U.S. and Canadian Amazon Prime subscribers.