Shamil Gasanov preparing himself for ground war with Garry Tonon at ONE Fight Night 34

Shamil Gasanov is leaving no stone unturned in his preparation for his featherweight MMA clash with submission specialist Garry Tonon in the co-main event of ONE Fight Night 34 next Friday, August 1.

The 29-year-old Dagestani fighter has made significant adjustments to his training camp, focusing heavily on grappling preparation as he prepares to face one of the most accomplished submission artists inside Bangkok's legendary Lumpinee Stadium at the start of next month.

"For this fight camp, I've been more focused on my grappling game because I want to wrestle this guy on the ground," Shamil Gasanov told Sportskeeda MMA during an exclusive interview.

His bold strategy of taking the fight to Tonon's wheelhouse demonstrates his confidence in his ground skills against the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt.

After all, Gasanov has assembled an elite training team to prepare for the technical challenge that awaits him against the American grappling legend.

"The main sparring partners for my grappling training are a wrestler by the name of Abu Muslim and a grappler called Ben Royal. There are a lot of different guys from the Phuket Grappling Academy gym who have been helping me, too," the Peresvet Fight Team and Tiger Muay Thai star continued.

His decision to surround himself with high-level grapplers at the Phuket Grappling Academy should allow him to close any flaws that were present when he was forced to tap to 'The Lion Killer' slightly more than two years ago.

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Shamil Gasanov's keys to victory in Garry Tonon sequel

Shamil Gasanov may have tapped to Tonon's kneebar submission in 2023. Still, his ground game remains his best path to victory against the American fighter.

He, however, must approach things slightly differently once the fight hits the mats.

While attacking or looking to gain the upper hand, 'The Cobra' must be wary of every crank or pull Tonon unleashes in guard. It won't be straightforward, but with textbook Dagestani grappling, he should be able to keep Tonon at bay.

Their three-round featherweight MMA rematch and the entire ONE Fight Night 34 card will be available live in U.S. primetime for free to active Amazon Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada on Friday, August 1.