In a thrilling display of grappling prowess, Garry Tonon made a successful comeback to the ONE Championship cage on Friday.
The ADCC veteran faced off against the undefeated Shamil Gasanov in the co-main event of ONE FN 12 at the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Right from the start, Tonon pulled guard in round one, but Gasanov, boasting an impressive record of 13 wins with 11 finishes, thwarted his attempt and delivered knees to Tonon’s head. However, Tonon skillfully evaded the strikes and managed to take Gasanov’s back while on their feet. From that point onwards, neither could inflict significant damage on the other.
Round two saw Tonon coming out assertively with three high kicks, all of which were blocked by Gasanov. Unfazed, Gasanov took the grappling expert down, but Tonon was quick to retaliate by pulling guard to launch a kneebar attack. Gasanov was eventually forced to tap out, succumbing to Tonon’s relentless submission game.
After the winner announcement, Tonon confessed that Gasanov had given him a tough time during the bout, but the tide turned in his favor when he felt Gasanov’s knee “break” during the submission. Tonon’s impressive performance earned him an additional $50,000, and he wasted no time in requesting a shot at the championship belt.
The event also featured four other exhilarating MMA contests, with Amir Aliakbari, Yuya Wakamatsu, and Akbar Abdullaev securing first-round knockout wins in their respective fights. Aliakbari dominated Dustin Joynson with ground-and-pound for his third consecutive victory, while Wakamatsu delivered a statement-making TKO against Xie Wei. Abdullaev exhibited his striking prowess, overwhelming Aarno Canarte with a furious flurry of strikes in under a minute.
The night was packed with adrenaline-filled action, leaving fans on the edge of their seats throughout the event. Duoji Banma also secured a victory via unanimous decision against Walter Goncalves.
