Shamil Gasanov
Shamil Gasanov celebrates his victory over Kim Jae Woong. ONE Championship

KEY POINTS

  • Shamil Gasanov has been forced to pull out of ONE Fight Night 7
  • Gasanov was originally booked to face Martin Nguyen
  • Most of the matches on the card will proceed as scheduled

Fight fans will have to wait for a while to see Martin Nguyen figure in a pivotal featherweight encounter opposite another ranked divisional contender in the form of Shamil Gasanov.

Through his official Facebook page, Nguyen confirmed that Gasanov was forced to withdraw from their three-round joust slated for ONE Fight Night 7 on February 25 (February 24 in the United States) due to an "infection" that stemmed from an injury he sustained in training.

ONE Championship has yet to release a statement regarding Gasanov's sudden pull-out.

In addition, it remains unknown if Nguyen will still be part of the bout lineup for ONE Fight Night 7 and face a new opponent on a few days' notice.

The aforementioned matchup was one of 10 must-see attractions booked for the live event set to happen at the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand next weekend.

Nguyen—a former two-division ONE world champion—sought to rebound from a heartbreaking first-round knockout loss to Ilya Freymanov in September 2022 by going up against a rising star in Gasanov.

An undefeated Russian prospect with a pristine 13-0 record, Gasanov initially put the weight class on notice in October of last year by choking out then-No. 2-rated featherweight Kim Jae Woong in the first round of his promotional debut.

The shocking victory over the South Korean earned Gasanov a spot in the Top Five of the division at No. 5, sitting behind the No. 4-seeded Nguyen.

Despite the unfortunate news, the majority of the matches at ONE Fight Night 7 will proceed as planned.

The fight card is headlined by a ONE bantamweight championship rematch between ex-division kingpin John Lineker and No. 1 contender Fabricio Andrade.

Meanwhile, Tawanchai PK.Saenchai will stake his ONE featherweight Muay Thai title versus Jamal Yusupov in the co-main event.

Jiu-jitsu phenom Danielle Kelly is also set to return to action in a 53.9-kilogram submission grappling catchweight duel against Japanese mixed martial artist Ayaka Miura.

ONE Fight Night 7 will likewise feature the long-awaited comeback of Team Lakay's Danny Kingad, who will square off with the surging Eko Roni Saputra.

Prime Video subscribers in the United States will get to see ONE Fight Night 7 live and for free at 8:00 PM ET on February 24.

Martin Nguyen, ONE Championship
Martin Nguyen seeks redemption in his his return to action. ONE Championship