Second-ranked featherweight contender Garry Tonon recently returned to the winner’s column in ONE Championship, and he isn’t about to let anyone derail him from his path back to the top.

“The Lion Killer” will face #3-ranked Shamil Gasanov in the penultimate bout of ONE Fight Night 12: Superlek vs. Khalilov this Friday, July 14, at the historic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, with the star-studded event going out live and free to Prime Video subscribers in North America.

Garry Tonon Analyzes Shamil Gasanov’s Submission-Oriented Style

The multiple-time BJJ World Champion has used his grappling prowess to power him to a 7-1 record in mixed martial arts record in the Singapore-based promotion, including in his latest victory against Johnny Nunez this past January, and he believes his upcoming opponent approaches the all-encompassing sport the same way he does.

“I look at his game the same way that I look at my game. This guy is trying to look to control and submit people. He may as well be a jiu-jitsu guy,” Tonon said.

“When you look at this guy’s fights, this is what he does. He wants to get a hold of you, [and] he wants to eventually submit you. And the fights that don’t go that way, it’s not because he was trying to do something else. It just didn’t happen.”

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Gasanov is undefeated through 13 fights, with most of his bouts ending in a finish. Much like many of his Russian compatriots, “The Cobra” is at his best on the ground, but unlike other wrestlers from his region, Tonon believes Gasanov mainly aims for a submission instead of just bullying his opponents.

Tonon Foresees Gasanov’s Downfall

The American star welcomes this challenge from the rising star but believes that plan will be his downfall.

“I actually think he’s a little different than some of the Dagestani Russian wrestling types because he tends to favor submitting people over beating them up on the ground, which tends to be more of what those guys do. They submit people, for sure, but it’s usually a byproduct of grinding somebody out and then submitting them. To me, this guy seems much more focused on submitting,” he said.

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“I don’t think it’s going to go his way. But it’s a pretty cool matchup in that regard. I think similar to the Johnny Nunez fight – it just leads him to get submitted, because he wants to get a hold of me, right? And it’s going to give me more opportunities to get a hold of him in ways that I can make him quit.”