Garry Tonon wants ‘all the toughest guys’ on his way to another world title shot

At ONE Fight Night 12, Garry Tonon made a statement with his second consecutive win inside the circle.

Looking to rebound from the first loss of his MMA career and collect a run of victories, Tonon proved that he is going nowhere but upwards in the stacked featherweight MMA division.

Meeting undefeated Russian contender Shamil Gasanov at the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, the stakes were high. With lightweight champion Tang Kai withdrawing from his rematch with Thanh Le due to an injury, several contenders saw their spot open up to secure an interim title shot or put themselves into pole position for when the kingpin returns.

Weathering a tough opening first round, Tonon suddenly found the fight in his world during the second stanza, securing a signature kneebar submission to hand Gasanov his first career loss.

Calling out the division’s former champion Martin Nguyen in his post-fight interview, ‘The Lion Killer’ wants a shot at the interim title. Former champion Thanh Le was not impressed by the callout having already been scheduled for a rematch with the world champion.

Garry Tonon elaborated on his comments after the fight, stating that he doesn’t care who is put in front of him, he just wants to be fighting for a world championship next time he steps inside the circle:

“I want to fight all the toughest guys in the division. So you know what, whatever and whenever I can get that championship fight, I want to take it.”

The entire ONE Fight Night 12 card is available to watch back via the free event replay on Prime Video for North American viewers.