ONE Championship: Tonon eyes title run after 18-month absence, but first Gasanov
Garry Tonon returns to the ring in August and faces a familiar foe in Russian Shamil Gasanov
Injuries and contract disputes have kept Garry Tonon away from the ring for the past 18 months, now he is ready to make up for lost time.
The American grappling ace returns to the cage in August at ONE Fight Night 34, looking to pick up where he left off by submitting Shamil Gasanov for a second time.
Tonon last faced Gasanov two years ago, earning a decisive kneebar victory at ONE Fight Night 12. But with the Russian stringing together four straight wins since that defeat, he has worked his way back into a featherweight rematch with the former title challenger.
“There’s some people saying, ‘why this rematch after a pretty decisive victory?’” Tonon told the Post. “But he won four in a row. He’s worked his way up the ladder.
“Who else is he really supposed to fight? This match is as good as any, and he certainly has worked his way back up to deserving it.”
While fans have not seen Tonon compete since January last year, when he beat Martin Nguyen in Tokyo at ONE 165, he has kept busy, building a new gym in Austin, Texas, and using the downtime to address lingering injuries.