Shamil Gasanov says a win over Garry Tonon should net him date with Tang Kai: “A title shot only makes sense next”

On-a-roll Russian fighter Shamil Gasanov believes victory over American Garry Tonon in their scheduled match this week should earn him a world title shot against reigning featherweight MMA king Tang Kai next.

'The Cobra' made this known ahead of his showdown with 'The Lion Killer' at ONE Fight Night 34: Eersel vs Jarvis on Prime Video on Aug. 1 at the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

He underscored that it in his three-year run in ONE Championship he has already proven his worth as a challenger and a world title shot is already due, telling Sportskeeda MMA in an interview:

"I don't need to fight Tang Kai. For me, he just has what I want…I need the belt. If I beat Garry [Tonon], I should be the next challenger. A good winning run and a title shot only makes sense next."

Coming into ONE Fight Night 34, Shamil Gasanov has won four straight, and five of six matches to date in ONE Championship. He is currently the third-ranked contender in the featherweight division,

Incidentally, Gasanov's lone defeat in ONE came at the hands of Tonon, who defeated him by submission (kneebar) in their first encounter in July 2023, giving the Dagestani fighter further motivation to come up with a win.

ONE Fight Night 34: Eersel vs Jarvis is available live at U.S. primetime to North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.

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Shamil Gasanov expects intense ground battle against Garry Tonon at ONE Fight Night 34

Shamil Gasanov is prepared for whatever direction his match against Garry Tonon at ONE Fight Night 34 will go. He, however, admitted that he has paid special attention to his grappling game, recognizing that in Tonon he is up against one of the top submission artists right now.

He shared this in the same interview with Sportskeeda MMA, saying:

"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 went to say that in going about training, he made sure that he got all the help he needed from his team, sharing:

"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,"

Gasanov was last in action in February at ONE 171: Qatar, beating former two-division world champion Martin Nguyen by decision.

His opponent, Tonon, meanwhile, took the ONE Championship ring last in January 2024, also against Nguyen and winning by submission (rear-naked choke).