Garry Tonon warns Shamil Gasanov it wasn’t ‘the smartest move’ to call him out

‘The Lion Killer’ Garry Tonon questioned Shamil Gasanov’s callout of him ahead of their co-main event clash at ONE Fight Night 12 on Friday night.

Tonon, one of Brazilian jiu-jitsu’s most decorated competitors, will continue his march toward becoming a ONE world champion when he heads to the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Thailand for a scrap with undefeated Russian standout Shamil Gasanov.

‘The Cobra’ goes into the bout 13-0, which includes a stunning first-round submission victory against featherweight contender Kim Jae Woong at ONE on Prime Video 3. Gasanov’s world-class Dagestani wrestling has carried him throughout his career thus far, but Tonon doesn’t believe calling out one of the best submission grapplers in the world was the smartest move for Gasanov’s still-developing career:

“From a standpoint of what's smart for his career? I don't know if that was the smartest move, if you ask me,” Tonon told ONE Championship. “It's tough, man. It's a catch-22 because seeking out another grappler to fight, in some ways, is the lowest risk fight that you could take.”

After transitioning from BJJ to mixed martial arts, Garry Tonon has amassed an impressive 7-1 career with a stellar 86% finish rate. ‘The Lion Killer’ scored six-straight wins en route to his first ONE featherweight world title opportunity against then-world champion Thanh Le in March 2022. Tonon came up short against Le, but after landing another first-round submission against Johnny Nunez in January, Tonon could be one big win away from another title shot.

Amazon Prime Video subscribers in North America can catch all the action at ONE Fight Night 12 live and for free in U.S. primetime on July 14.