Third-ranked featherweight Shamil Gasanov (13-1) will get his shot at revenge when he faces Garry Tonon in the co-main event of ONE Fight Night 34: Eersel vs. Jarvis on Friday, August 1, at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
The event streams live on Amazon Prime Video in U.S. primetime.
Gasanov has been waiting for this rematch since Tonon submitted him via kneebar in the second round at ONE Fight Night 12 in July 2023 - the first loss of his professional career.
"After losing to Tonon the first time, I've always wanted to come back as soon as possible to get another fight with Garry," Gasanov said. "Despite losing, honestly, apart from his grappling, he didn't show anything else in that fight."
The 29-year-old Dagestani fighter has made significant adjustments to his preparation, splitting training between Peresvet Fight Team, Phuket Grappling Academy, and Tiger Muay Thai with increased focus on grappling.
Gasanov plans to abandon the defensive strategy that cost him in their first meeting.
"I'm not going to defend myself. Instead, I will show that my attack is my best form of defense," Gasanov said. "I'm going out there to attack and attack, and to win."
Gasanov has dedicated extra attention to his ground game specifically for this matchup against the accomplished Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt.
"Grappling has always been an area that I focus on a lot. But for this fight, I paid two times more attention than usual because of Tonon's grappling game," he said.
The featherweight contender is confident he can find multiple paths to victory as well.
"I'll look for any method to beat him and to win this fight," Gasanov said. "The dream would be to finish this fight in the first round, by submission or TKO."
A victory over Tonon could position Gasanov for an immediate title shot against reigning ONE Featherweight World Champion Tang Kai. Gasanov enters riding a four-fight winning streak that includes a statement victory over former two-division king Martin Nguyen at ONE 171: Qatar in February.
"I'm on a four-fight winning streak right now, which includes a win over the legend, Martin Nguyen," Gasanov said. "So, if I beat Garry Tonon, I think there should be no question who the next challenger for the World Title is."
However, settling the score with Tonon takes priority over championship aspirations.
"For now, this is the most important fight for me in my career. I needed this fight more than the title fight," Gasanov said.
