Garry Tonon says Shamil Gasanov is ‘one of the best grapplers’ after ONE Fight Night 12 firefight

At ONE Fight Night 12, Garry Tonon secured the best win of his MMA career inside the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

Tonon submitted Shamil Gasanov and handed the undefeated Russian contender his first loss in MMA with a signature kneebar in the second round.

Since tasting defeat for the first time against Thanh Le, his first setback since transitioning to MMA as one of the best submission grapplers in the world, ‘The Lion Killer’ has produced impressive back-to-back wins.

With high stakes on the line, as both men were targeting a world championship shot, Tonon executed his game plan perfectly despite a tough opening round.

Although almost every other lightweight in the division wouldn’t dare engage with Gasanov on the ground due to his wrestling prowess, Tonon always has that ace up his sleeve where he can secure a submission out of nowhere.

That’s exactly what he did on the night, putting everything that he worked on in training camp into practice to keep himself in the fight long enough on the ground, at least until an opportunity presented itself.

In his post-fight interview, Garry Tonon reflected on how the fight played out compared to his expectations, stating that his preparations allowed him to get the job done:

“So I feel very confident and we've done it a million times in the gym, and thankfully, it was really cool to do it. You know? Live on a game opponent somebody that’s tough as Shamil. One of the best grapplers in MMA if you asked me. So yeah, that was kind of super awesome.”

The entire ONE Fight Night 12 card is available to watch back via the free event replay on Prime Video for North American viewers.