Anatoly Malykhin says Garry Tonon will be ‘easy money’ for fellow Russian Shamil Gasanov

Newly crowned unified ONE heavyweight world champion Anatoly Malykhin expects Shamil Gasanov to make quick work of his ONE Fight Night 12 opponent, Garry Tonon.

The two featherweight standouts will square off inside Thailand’s iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium this Friday night. Gasanov goes into the bout riding an impressive 13-fight win streak, including a first-round submission against Kim Jae Woong in his promotional debut last year. His next task will undoubtedly be his toughest yet when he meets BJJ all-star ‘The Lion Killer’ Garry Tonon.

Tonon enters the bout with an impressive 7-1 record and an 86% finish rate inside the Circle. Despite those stats, heavyweight fan favorite Anatoly Malykhin expects it to be an easy night for Shamil Gasanov.

“I think it will be a one-sided fight in Shamil's favor,” Malykhin told ONE Championship. “Shamil is on another level, wrestling-wise and mentally. So, it's easy money for Shamil. It will be an easy fight.”

Shamil Gasanov currently sits as the No. 5 ranked featherweight in the division. Should he add an impressive win against Garry Tonon this Friday night, ‘The Cobra’ could find himself knocking on the door of his first ONE world title opportunity.

For ‘The Lion Killer,’ a victory over Gasanov could put him back in line for a title shot after coming up short in his lone ONE world title bid in March 2022. After earning six straight victories, Tonon suffered a vicious first-round KO against then-champion Thanh Le at ONE: Lights Out. A win over Gasanov could be exactly what Tonon needs to once again vie for 26 pounds of gold.

Amazon Prime Video subscribers in North America can catch all the action at ONE Fight Night 12 live and for free in U.S. primetime on July 14.