Turkish rising MMA star Halil Amir suffered his second career defeat at the hands of Russia's Shamil Gasanov at ONE Fight Night 26: Lee vs. Rasulov on Saturday.
The 30-year-old's toughness shone through as he countered Gasanov's submission attempts, but he struggled to implement his own attacking game in the fast-paced featherweight bout.
Gasanov, known for his dangerous submission skills, imposed his ground game early.
The Russian, nicknamed "The Cobra," wasted no time, taking Amir to the mat in the opening moments and controlling him for most of the first round.
Despite Gasanov's dominance, Amir displayed impressive resilience, thwarting multiple submission attempts with his strength and flexibility.
In the second round, Amir showed more aggression, trading strikes with Gasanov before the Russian attempted another takedown.
Although Gasanov's takedown failed, Amir found himself cornered and, in an effort to block another takedown attempt, was penalized with a yellow card for using the ropes.
Amir found some success in the third round, landing a punch and a powerful knee early on.
However, Gasanov's relentless pressure saw him drop Amir to the canvas again and regain control on his back.
Gasanov transitioned into an armbar, but Amir escaped once more, briefly reversing the position before attempting a guillotine choke. Unfortunately for Amir, Gasanov survived and the submission attempt did not lead to a tap-out.
After three hard-fought rounds, the judges awarded Gasanov the win by unanimous decision, marking his third straight victory and improving his record to 15-1.
Amir's second consecutive defeat in ONE Championship drops his record to 10-2, following his knockout loss to Akbar Abdullaev in May.
