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Former two-division world champion Martin Nguyen is keeping his eyes locked on the pivotal featherweight matchup between Garry Tonon and Shamil Gasanov.
The two grappling masters will square up at ONE Fight Night 12: Superlek vs. Khalilov on Prime Video this July 14 (US time) at the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok.
Tonon and Gasanov are both ranked contenders in the tough featherweight division in ONE Championship, and the victor could have a shot at glory against ONE featherweight world champion Tang Kai.
Nguyen, a former ONE featherweight and lightweight world champion, expects Tonon and Gasanov not to spend too much time in striking exchanges and rather bring the fight to the ground.
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In an interview with the South China Morning Post, Nguyen said Tonon’s free-flowing Brazilian jiu-jitsu will get the better of Gasanov’s grinding wrestling style in Bangkok.
Nguyen said:
“If it’s gonna go to the ground, I predict Garry Tonon will beat Gasanov via some type of leg lock.”
Tonon, the No.2-ranked featherweight contender, and Gasanov, the No.5 contender, are two of the best natural grapplers, perhaps in ONE Championship.
Gasanov is fairly new to the promotion, having made his debut in October with a first-round submission finish of South Korean knockout artist Kim Jae Woong at ONE Fight Night 3.
Tonon, meanwhile, is a multi-time BJJ world champion and spent the entirety of his MMA career in ONE Championship.
Following his debut in a submission grappling match against Shinya Aoki in 2017, Tonon had a seamless transition in MMA and picked up seven wins in the sport.
The American star racked up six straight wins in his first six MMA matches and ultimately earned a shot at gold in March 2022. Tonon, however, fell short in his bid losing to then-world champion Thanh Le via knockout.
ONE Fight Night 12, just like all of ONE Championship’s Amazon cards, is available live and free to all Prime Video subscribers in North America.
