Shamil Gasanov trains with trademark Dagestani grit ahead of ONE Fight Night 12

The Dagestan Republic of Russia has been producing some of the most dangerous grapplers in mixed martial arts, and Shamil Gasanov brought that signature toughness with him to Thailand.

Gasanov is set for a pivotal featherweight match against Garry Tonon at ONE Fight Night 12: Superlek vs. Khalilov on July 14 at the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium.

Heading into his bout in Bangkok, Gasanov set up camp at Tiger Muay Thai in Phuket, where he’s been training with some of the toughest wrestlers from Dagestan.

Gasanov said in an interview with ONE Championship:

“I am preparing at the Tiger Muay Thai and MMA gym in Thailand. My training partners include fighters from Dagestan who are here to prepare for their own fights. Most of them compete in ONE, and I have the privilege of training with some exceptional grapplers.”

Tiger Muay Thai has always been one of the best MMA gyms in the world, and it currently houses Anatoly Malykhin, the ONE light heavyweight and heavyweight world champion, as well as ONE bantamweight world champion Fabricio Andrade.

Gasanov, the fifth-ranked featherweight contender in ONE Championship, is 13-0 in his professional career, and he made his promotional debut in October 2022.

‘The Cobra’ utterly dominated South Korean knockout machine Kim Jae Woong and secured the rear-naked choke finish in the first round. Tonon, meanwhile, is one of the best pure grapplers in the current MMA landscape.

A multi-time BJJ world champion, Tonon made his ONE Championship debut in a submission grappling match against Shinya Aoki in May 2017. Tonon, the No.2 featherweight contender, has since carved a stellar MMA career with a 7-1 record. His only loss was a failed bid for the ONE featherweight world title against then-holder Thanh Le in March 2022.

ONE Fight Night 12 is available live and free to all Prime Video subscribers in North America.