Anatoly Malykhin says Shamil Gasanov is better than Garry Tonon at ‘everything’

Anatoly Malykhin, the reigning two-division ONE world champion, is backing his fellow countryman Shamil Gasanov to emerge victorious in his highly anticipated bout against BJJ specialist Garry Tonon this Friday night.

Gasanov, known as 'The Cobra,' aims to extend his impressive 13-fight win streak at the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium during the co-main event of ONE Fight Night 12 on Prime Video. After a notable first-round submission win in his promotional debut earlier this year, Gasanov faces his toughest challenge yet against Tonon.

But according to reigning two-division ONE world champion Anatoly Malykhin, Gasanov’s Degastani wrestling skills will be too much for Garry Tonon to handle inside the Mecca of Muay Thai.

“Everything from Shamil is a threat to Garry,” Malykhin told ONE Championship. “Shamil is many times better than Garry in everything. He has great freestyle wrestling and amazing takedowns.”

Shamil Gasanov has perfected his wrestling skills on the very competitive Russian regional scene, but it’s safe to say he has never faced an opponent as decored as ‘The Lion Killer.’ Tonon is one of the best grapplers in BJJ, winning titles at ADCC, IBJFF Worlds, and the Pan American championships. Making his transition to MMA in 2018, Tonon has amassed an impressive 7-1 record with an 86% finish rate.

His lone loss came against then-ONE featherweight world champion Thanh Le in March 2022. Tonon bounced back with a solid first-round submission against Johnny Nunez in January, and ‘The Lion Killer’ hopes that a win over Shamil Gasanov will give him the push he needs to once again fight for the ONE world title.

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.