“I Don’t Know if That Was the Smartest Move” – Garry Tonon Predicts a Victory for Himself Due to His Superior Grappling Skills After Lauding Shamil Gasanov’s Respect for Him

Garry “The Lion Killer” Tonon is happy to give undefeated Russian contender Shamil “The Cobra” Gasanov the fight he asked for – even if he thinks Gasanov made a mistake in calling him out.This Friday, in the co-main event of ONE Fight Night 12: Superlek vs. Khalilov on Prime Video, the American submission specialist will take on the Dagestani phenom in a pivotal featherweight MMA bout that’s been months in the making.

After bursting onto the scene with a spectacular first-round submission win in his ONE debut last October, Gasanov called for “a dream fight” against Tonon.

Garry Tonon lauded the undefeated Shamil Gasanov but also criticized his decision

His wish will now be granted, live in U.S. primetime from the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. Currently, the division’s #2-ranked contender and fresh off a quick submission victory as well, Tonon told ONE Championship that he respects the Russian’s pristine 13-0 record, but believes that his own experience in ONE, including a World Title shot in 2022, is worth more.

“To get the double digits undefeated, you’ve got to be doing something special. So this guy is good. There’s no question about that. To some degree, he’s got a lot of fight experience. But fight experience is different than fight experience against top-level guys. I have a few more fights under my belt against some of the toughest guys that were much more dangerous. He’s got just the one.”

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“The Lion Killer” is flattered by Gasanov’s call-out, well aware that the target on his back means he’s one of the best fighters on the planet. But given “The Cobra’s” grappling-based approach to MMA, Tonon thinks it was unwise to call out at an opponent who is widely regarded as one of the top pound-for-pound ground fighters in the sport.

Garry Tonon felt his superior grappling skills will earn him a victory over Shamil Gasanov

The BJJ black belt explained, “I like [that he called me his dream matchup] from a standpoint of respect. I think that’s cool, to be known as somebody who people look at and go, ‘Man, that’s the guy I need to beat to really prove myself.’ From a standpoint of what’s smart for his career? I don’t know if that was the smartest move, if you ask me.”

“If there’s anybody in the division who’s going to be a better grappler than him, it’s going to be me, right? So this stylistic matchup of him using grappling to try to beat opponents versus another dude who’s really, really good at that makes that one of the toughest fights for him to win.”

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In the end, Tonon is confident that he and his world-renowned grappling skills will hand Gasanov the first defeat of his professional career, “For sure, I’m going to submit this guy. It’s just a question of how. What’s the most likely way of doing it? Maybe some sort of guillotine.”