Shamil Gasanov wants to join ONE Championship’s submission grappling ranks

Undefeated Russian prospect Shamil Gasanov hopes to put his skills to the test in ONE Championship’s submission grappling division someday.

Gasanov will look to score his second career win inside the circle on July 14 when the promotion returns to the legendary Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Thailand for ONE Fight Night 12: Superlek vs. Khalilov on Prime Video. Standing in his way of extending his current win streak to 14 will be submission sensation and one-time ONE world title challenger, Garry Tonon.

Before mixing it up with ‘The Lion Killer’ inside Bangkok’s Mecca of Muay Thai, Shamil Gasanov shared his desire to one day put his world-class grappling skills to the test in ONE Championship’s still-growing submission grappling division:

“Additionally, I have a strong desire to compete in submission grappling,” Gasanov told the promotion in a recent interview.

Shamil Gasanov stunned fans in his ONE Championship debut last October, scoring a quick submission victory over Kin Jae Woong. The victory moved him to 13-0 in his career and thrust him into the No. 5 spot in the featherweight rankings. Should Gasanov get his hand raised against Garry Tonon at ONE Fight Night 12, ‘The Cobra’ will likely find himself on the cusp of a ONE world title opportunity.

As for Tonon, ‘The Lion Killer’ is determined to earn his second shot at ONE Championship gold after coming up short against former world titleholder Thanh Le in March 2022. Tonon has since bounced back, scoring a first-round submission over Johnny Nunez. With one more impressive victory, Tonon believes he will have earned himself another crack at the featherweight crown.

Amazon Prime Video subscribers in North America can catch all the action at ONE Fight Night 12 live and for free in U.S. primetime on July 14.