Despite gearing up for his main event bout against Oh Ho Taek at ONE Fight Night 18, Shamil Gasanov’s thoughts often go back to another point of his career – his July 2023 defeat to Garry Tonon.
The first round saw Gasanov in a dominant position, throwing a barrage of powerful ground strikes that left Tonon somewhat hurt.
However, the tide turned in the second round – when Tonon executed a flawless Kneebar, marking Gasanov’s first professional loss.
Reflecting on this encounter in an interview with ONE Championship, Gasanov acknowledged that he made a mistake – and that he wants to face Tonon again:
In my previous fight, I disregarded my corner’s instructions when I caught a whiff of blood and let my ego get the better of me.
I wanted to prove to myself that I was superior to Garry in the grappling game.This lapse in judgment cost me a fight! I’ve pledged to my trainer that I’ll always follow the game plan…
I vowed to face Garry Tonon in a rematch if he continues to compete.
Gasanov wants to earn the match so that it can take place:
I don’t want to ask for a fight with Garry – I want to earn it!
I understand that he might not be interested in this fight right now. But I’ll take any fight that brings me closer to facing Tonon.
And yes, I’m always interested in fighting him.It doesn’t matter if he wins or loses his next fight, or even if I become champion before him.
I’ll accept a fight with him at any time.
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