“I kept kicking”: Tang Kai reveals the exact calf kick moment that exposed Shamil Gasanov before brutal ONE Championship finish

Tang Kai once again proved why he is still the king of the ONE featherweight division. The Chinese star defended his ONE Featherweight MMA World Championship with a fourth-round TKO win over Shamil Gasanov at ONE Fight Night 43 on May 15 inside Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. The fight looked competitive early on, but Tang slowly took control by targeting Gasanov’s legs and breaking down his movement round by round.The finish came after a brutal calf kick dropped the Russian challenger to the canvas in Round 4. Tang Kai immediately followed with hammerfists to force the stoppage. Speaking to ONE Championship after the fight, the champion explained that the final kick was not random. He said he was testing how much damage Gasanov had already taken before fully attacking the injured leg. The win improved Tang Kai’s professional MMA record to 20-3 and earned him a $50,000 performance bonus from the promotion.

Tang Kai explains how he realized Shamil Gasanov was badly hurt during ONE Fight Night 43

Tang Kai stayed calm throughout the fight and carefully worked on weakening Shamil Gasanov little by little. Instead of rushing for a finish, the Chinese fighter kept landing low kicks while also defending the Russian’s wrestling attacks. Gasanov is known for his grappling ability, but Tang’s takedown defense stopped him from building momentum.After the fight, Tang Kai spoke honestly about the moment he realized the end was close. In his interview with ONE Championship, he said:“No, I just tried to calf kick to know how he feels. I could feel that he got hurt. He got hurt, so I kept kicking.”That simple adjustment completely changed the fight. Once Gasanov’s movement slowed down, Tang Kai increased the pressure with combinations and more attacks to the legs. The final kick in the fourth round left the challenger unable to stay balanced.Tang Kai later said he was happy with his overall performance because his team had prepared carefully for Gasanov’s wrestling-heavy style. He praised his opponent while also crediting his training camp for the result.In another interview with ONE Championship, Tang Kai said:“I feel good. I feel happy. Shamil is a very good opponent, and the team knew he had good wrestling and he was a good athlete, so that’s why in this fight we prepared everything for him. And we trained very hard. I just enjoyed this fight.”ONE Fight Night 43 is currently available on demand for Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.