Garry Tonon details how he survived Shamil Gasanov’s grounded knees to the head

American mixed martial arts fighter Garry Tonon had his early struggles against Russian Shamil Gasanov in their clash last week. But, he found his bearings as the fight wore on en route to a submission (kneebar) win.

The 31-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist was taken down by the Dagestani fighter in the early parts of the opening round of their featherweight MMA showdown at ONE Fight Night 12 on Prime Video on July 14 in Bangkok..

While on top control, ‘The Cobra’ threw solid grounded knees to the head but eventually ‘The Lion Killer’ would manage to fight his way out of them and stand up.

Garry Tonon picked the ante up in the second round with a series of push kicks. Then while clinching in the corner, he moved down for a leg lock and did not relent in putting pressure on it. Shamil Gasanov tried to escape but was unable to, eventually forced to tap out midway into the frame.

During the ringside interview following his win, the New Jersey native detailed how he dug deep just to survive the grounded knee strikes he received.

“Oh man, every knee was terrible. I was doing my absolute best to defend, find my way to a leg and get a little closer to him to make those knees a little bit more difficult. And then do what I do best.”

Watch the fight highlights below:

The win at ONE Fight Night 12 was the second in a row for Garry Tonon, who is on a mission to earn another shot at the ONE featherweight world title.

Garry Tonon, the No. 2 contender in the division, first vied for the featherweight gold in March last year. But, he fell short with a knockout loss in the opening round at the hands of then-world champion Thanh Le. Tang Kai of China is currently the ONE featherweight world champion.

Replay of ONE Fight Night 12 is available for free to Prime Video subscribers in North America.