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Like a shark who smelled blood in the waters, Garry Tonon experienced tunnel vision when he synced in a textbook kneebar on Shamil Gasanov at ONE Fight Night 12 last weekend.
Currently ranked second in the stacked featherweight ranks, Tonon strengthened his case for another world title shot by ending the formerly undefeated Russian's hype train with an emphatic submission victory.
Amidst the chaotic scenario that unfolded inside the iconic halls of Lumpinee Stadium, Tonon admitted he had no clue Gasanov was already waving the white flag, as he kept cranking on the painful joint lock.
The 31-year-old made this revelation in his OFN12 post-event interview:
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“He turned and screamed and I was just informed by somebody that screaming you can actually scream ‘tap’. You don't have to verbalize the word ‘tap.’ You can scream and a referee. is supposed to stop it. I didn't know that. I thought they were just going to let it keep going.”
Tonon knew beforehand that the Dagestani wrestler will be extremely tough to put away. Nevertheless, ‘The Lion Killer’ admitted he was prepared to make extreme measures and “break” his opponent, which he eventually did.
‘The Cobra’ shrieked in agony after getting his knee bent in places it has no business being in.
Tonon, for his part, heard his opponent wailing but only learned that he tapped upon rewatching the fight-ending sequence. He added:
“So you know, I just waited until they stopped the fight and turns out he did tap as well. He tapped on the ground.”
Moments before the finish, Gasanov remained calm and composed while the leg-lock specialist latched on to his limb. Clearly, he downplayed the danger he was in and ultimately paid a steep price against a certified killer like Tonon.
Rewatch the American’s brilliant submission at ONE Fight Night 12. The entire event is available on replay free of charge for existing Prime Video subscribers in North America.
Here's Garry Tonon’s full post-event interview:
