AS Carlos "Limitless" Alvarez gets closer to a US$100,000 contract and spot on ONE Championship’s main roster, he already has a dream match in mind.
The Team Lakay rising star eyes third-ranked flyweight MMA contender Shamil "The Cobra" Gasanov, stating that he wants to test himself against the powerful Russian grappler if he joins the main roster.
With a 5-1 record in the ONE Friday Fights circuit, all wins coming from finishes, he's moving closer to making that dream a reality.
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"One guy I want to fight is Shamil Gasanov. He's such a high-level fighter, a good striker and a really good grappler. I want to test myself against him," Alvarez said.
It will be an interesting matchup for Alvarez should he get that fight as Gasanov will be the best grappler he'll face in his career.
Coming from the wrestling hotbed of Dagestan, "The Cobra" has made a name for himself in ONE Championship with his ability to dominate opponents with excellent top control and submit them with the slightest opening.
Alvarez has three of his five wins in ONE Friday Fights coming from submissions, including an impressive 17-second finish of Seiya Matsuda at ONE Friday Fights 101, tapping the Japanese fighter with a D'arce choke.
"Limitless" believes he has the tools to compete with Gasanov — if he gets there.
"I'm very confident with my grappling skills. We're training really well in Team Lakay. We're working on our BJJ intently and I'm confident that we can hang with some of the best grapplers in the world," Alvarez said.
"I'm happy with how I'm developing, and I'm happier that everything that we get to do in training, I get to apply it in the ring and in the actual fights."
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